Three years ago, major American banks barely acknowledged Meridian Financial's existence. The San Francisco-based neobank was growing fast, sure, but it occupied the same niche they all did — current accounts for the young and the underbanked, a colourful debit card, a decent savings rate. Nothing that threatened the core business.
The Startup That Wants to Replace Your Bank — and Why Big Finance Is Finally Scared
Meridian Financial has quietly accumulated 40 million customers without a single physical branch. Now it's targeting the one product banks thought was untouchable: home loans.
James Caldwell
Economy and finance analyst. Covers markets, companies and economic policy.
June 5, 2026·7 min read
