ValidiFI is an analytics and technology company that connects bank account and payment insights to help companies in a variety of industries provide more confident, trustworthy, and transparent transactions. Pulse 2.0 interviewed ValidiFI CEO John Gordon to gain a deeper understanding of the company.
John Gordon’s Background
What is John Gordon’s background? Gordon said:
“I am a Georgia native, went to school at UGA (Go Dawgs!) and I’ve been in the credit and alternative data space for over 15 years. Prior to joining ValidiFI, I served as Global VP of Sales and Business Development at FactorTrust, acquired by TransUnion (TU) (NYSE: TRU). Through my time at FactorTrust and TransUnion, I really drove my passion to help financial service providers utilize data to solve fraud, risk, and account management challenges.”
Formation Of The Company
How did the idea for the company come together? Gordon shared:
“The company as it exists today came together following a strategic acquisition by Ribbit, a leader in bank behavior data and analytics. Ribbit acquired ValidiFI to combine two complementary capabilities—Ribbit’s powerful behavioral data science and ValidiFI’s deep expertise in real-time bank account and payment intelligence.”
“Following the acquisition, we unified under the ValidiFI name to reflect a shared mission: helping businesses make smarter, faster decisions using predictive financial data. The rebrand to ValidiFI represented more than just a name—it marked the integration of two best-in-class data platforms, giving our customers broader data coverage, deeper insights, and a more advanced suite of fraud, risk, and payment optimization solutions.”
“By bringing these technologies and teams together, we’ve created one of the most comprehensive financial data ecosystems in the market today—equipping lenders, fintech’s, and payment providers with the tools to turn compliance and risk mitigation into real growth opportunities.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Gordon explained:
“Our platform revolves around our proprietary bank account and payment data, helping clients with:
— Account Validation – Confirm consumer/business account status instantly using ValidiFI’s data network, Early Warning Services, and J.P. Morgan Payments data with industry-leading coverage
— Account Ownership – Authenticate consumer/business account ownership using ValidiFI’s data network, Early Warning Services, and J.P. Morgan Payments data with industry-leading coverage
— Fraud Detection – Detect bank account-related fraud by identifying suspicious behavior and high-frequency changes associated with bank accounts and identity elements like phone, email, and address.
— Open Banking & Cash Flow Analytics – empowering cash flow underwriting and open banking capabilities
— Identity Verification – Support KYC and identity compliance efforts
Our APIs and direct integrations enable clients to plug ValidiFI’s bank account and payment intelligence into their existing tech stacks with minimal friction.”
Challenges Faced
What challenges have Gordon and the team face in building the company? Gordon acknowledged:
“The regulatory landscape in Financial Services and Fintech is always shifting—especially around data use, consumer privacy, and fraud prevention, especially when it comes to online digital transactions. The upcoming 2026 Nacha rule is a prime example. In response, ValidiFI has made numerous solution developments and data partnerships to help organizations navigate. Leveraging our vast proprietary and authoritative data networks, ValidiFI provides real-time bank account and payment intelligence into bank account validity, ownership, payment behavior and consumer risk signals – empowering clients to make smarter, faster decisions. As the industry responds to the upcoming Nacha fraud monitoring rule, ValidiFI, a Nacha preferred partner, enables additional layers of protection through assessing connections for velocity across our network and detecting evolving fraud.”
Evolution Of The Company’s Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since its launch? Gordon noted:
“We started with a focus on data accuracy and validation. Since then, we’ve expanded into predictive modeling, machine learning, and automation, giving clients not just data but actionable intelligence. We’re also investing heavily in real-time decision-making and Open Banking integrations to meet the increasing demand for speed and transparency.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Gordon cited:
— Becoming a Nacha preferred partner for Web debit compliance and evolving compliance changes like the upcoming Nacha 2026 Fraud Monitoring mandate.
— Launching our flagship vAccount+ solution suite and continuously innovating to meet evolving client and market needs.
— Announcing a collaboration with J.P. Morgan Payments, the largest bank in the U.S. for expanded coverage and authentication of bank accounts for our clients.”
Customer Success Stories
When asking Gordon about customer success stories, he highlighted:
“One of our clients—a leading lender—came to us facing high rates of payment failures and increased exposure to fraud. These issues were not only impacting profitability but also creating friction in the customer experience.”
— By implementing ValidiFI’s predictive bank account and payment intelligence, they gained real-time visibility into account risk. This allowed them to identify accounts likely to return non-sufficient funds (NSF) and route transactions more effectively.
— The results were significant: they saw a 30% increase in successful payment collections and a marked reduction in chargebacks and fraud-related losses. Most importantly, they were able to confidently approve more legitimate borrowers, enabling portfolio growth without added risk.
— This is a great example of how our solutions help clients go beyond compliance and fraud prevention—to actually drive business performance.
Another one of our clients, a leading provider of pay-by-bank and leader in the wholesale petroleum and convenience retail industry, was looking to enhance their account enrollment process to deliver a seamless experience for consumers within their gas station and convenience store networks. They wanted a low friction solution that could help drive adoption while also utilizing step-up verification solutions when needed to mitigate exposure to risk.
— By leveraging ValidiFI’s Omni Platform and embedding multiple solutions into their application flow, we enabled the client to streamline their account enrollment process.
— By adopting a multifaceted approach, leveraging ValidiFI’s suite of solutions including vAccount, vFraud, vConnect and vInsightSync, the client gained a deeper understanding of consumer behavior and account patterns, enabling more informed decision-making and improved outcomes.
— The results were significant: 82% reduction in microdeposits, 40% savings in fees per new enrollment, 25% decrease in first payment returns, and $260k in annual savings.”
Revenue/Funding
When asking Gordon about the company’s revenue and funding details, he revealed:
“While we’re privately held and bootstrapped, we’ve seen consistent year-over-year growth and are profitable. We’ve been approached by investors but have prioritized customer value and sustainable growth over rapid fundraising. That said, we remain open to strategic partnerships that align with our long-term vision.”
Total Addressable Market
What total addressable market (TAM) size is the company pursuing? Gordon assessed:
“We estimate our TAM at over $8 billion, spanning short-term and installment lending, digital banking, payments, insurance, and subscription services. As real time payments, digital wallets, and Open Banking accelerates in the U.S., we expect this market to expand significantly.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Gordon affirmed:
“Most providers focus on identity verification or credit data alone. We ‘ValidiFI It’ to take it a step further by delivering contextual and behavioral insights on not only the bank account including longevity, recency, payment performance – but also the consumer behind it and potential risk associated with the connections between the two. Our real-time scores and API-first platform make us not only more predictive—but more practical and scalable. Clients often tell us they chose ValidiFI because we “see what others miss.” Our client’s success is our success, so we also offer our clients a dedicated account team every step of the way through onboarding and life of the relationship, no contracts, monthly minimums or setup fees.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future goals? Gordon emphasized:
We’re focused on deepening our predictive models, expanding into new verticals like embedded finance, and scaling our partner network. With Open Banking and Nacha compliance transforming how businesses operate, ValidiFI is well-positioned to be at the forefront, helping companies turn compliance into a competitive edge.
Additional Thoughts
Any other topics you would like to discuss? Gordon concluded:
According to a study from AFP, 79% of Organizations Were Victims of Attempted or Actual Payments Fraud Activity in 2024. This coupled with the national average U.S. FICO score dropping to 715, down two points since April 2024, consumers and organizations are feeling the pressure. As fraud becomes more sophisticated and consumer wallets become tighter, yes/no verification is no longer sufficient. Static and manual checks can’t keep up with the speed and complexity of today’s threats, especially fraudsters exploiting synthetic identities, real-time payments, and AI-driven tactics. Clients are coming to us needing deeper, context-rich data that goes beyond the surface-level to uncover behavioral patterns, risk signals, and intent.
“This is where ValidiFI’s predictive bank account and payment consortium data network deliver critical advantages. By aggregating real-time insights from a wide range of financial institutions and organizations – and continuously feeding client-reported outcomes back into the system – ValidiFI strengthens its models with each transaction we verify. The result is a smarter, more predictive network that helps clients do business more confidently and securely.”
