Fifth Third and Brex Partner to Bring AI-Powered Finance to Businesses, Unlocking $5.6B in Commercial Card Volume

Key Terms

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A commercial card is a payment card issued to a business for company expenses—such as supplier invoices, travel, employee purchases or fuel—rather than for personal use. Think of it like a shared company charge card or expense account that streamlines payments and records who spent what. Investors watch commercial card volume and usage because it affects a firm’s cash flow and expense control, and it drives fee and interest revenue for banks and card networks while signaling changes in business activity and credit risk.

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AI agents are computer programs designed to perform tasks or make decisions automatically, often by learning from data and adapting to new information. They act like virtual assistants or robots that can handle complex activities without human intervention, which can help businesses and individuals save time and improve efficiency. For investors, AI agents matter because they can enhance decision-making and automate processes that influence markets and financial outcomes.

CINCINNATI & SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Fifth Third Bank (NASDAQ: FITB), a pioneer in financial innovation known for improving the lives of its customers, and Brex, the intelligent finance platform, today announced a multi-year partnership that unlocks $5.6 billion in annual commercial card payment volume. Built on Brex Embedded, Brex’s proprietary API-driven payments infrastructure, the Fifth Third Commercial Card powered by Brex will become the default commercial card solution for Fifth Third Bank’s Commercial Banking clients.

The partnership will enable Brex to bring modern, AI-native finance to Fifth Third’s Commercial Banking businesses. Through the Fifth Third Commercial Card powered by Brex, the bank’s Commercial clients will gain access to Brex’s intelligent finance software platform where they can issue corporate cards, automate expense management and make secure, real-time payments. They will also benefit from Brex’s AI agents that automate complex workflows end-to-end to close the books faster, reduce manual review and control spend.

“The future of business demands financial platforms that do more than process payments—they must power growth,” said Tim Spence, Chairman, CEO and President of Fifth Third Bank. “Our partnership with Brex is a commitment to redefine how companies leverage financial technology. By combining the strength of a leading bank with Brex’s AI-driven innovation, we’re creating intelligent solutions that simplify complexity, drive efficiency and enable businesses to scale globally with confidence.”

“Fifth Third Bank shares our belief that every business deserves financial tools that work and act intelligently on their behalf,” said Pedro Franceschi, CEO of Brex. “By gaining access to roughly 8% of the U.S. commercial banking sector through a single partner, we’re delivering agentic finance solutions at an unprecedented scale. Together, we’re giving commercial teams the automation, speed, and accuracy they need, all seamlessly connected to the financial institution they already trust.”

Redefining the Commercial Experience

For decades, commercial businesses have faced the same persistent challenges as finance teams everywhere: limited visibility into company spend, rigid systems that fail to scale and countless hours lost to manual processes. Without modern AI-powered infrastructure, teams have been forced to track expenses and reconcile budgets by hand—an inefficient, error-prone approach that slows growth and increases risk.

“This partnership changes everything. By combining Fifth Third Bank’s financial strength with Brex’s AI-driven technology, we’re delivering an intelligent platform that automates workflows, enhances visibility and eliminates manual processes. Businesses gain real-time insights, global scalability and finance tools that work proactively on their behalf—freeing teams to focus on strategy, not spreadsheets. We’re introducing a new standard for speed, accuracy and control in commercial finance,” said Bridgit Chayt, Head of Commercial Payments, Fifth Third.

“Brex can now bring AI-native finance to far more of the commercial businesses that power our economy thanks to our partnership with Fifth Third Bank,” said Art Levy, Chief Business Officer at Brex. “With automated spend controls, real-time visibility, and receipts and accounting handled by AI, their finance teams can finally eliminate the manual work that slows them down and close their books faster than ever. Together, we're helping tens of thousands of businesses run with more efficiency and confidence.”

Brex will be deployed across all markets where Fifth Third operates, ensuring businesses nationwide gain access to next-generation financial tools. Companies can operate smarter, grow faster and compete globally with confidence.

About Fifth Third

Fifth Third is a bank that’s as long on innovation as it is on history. Since 1858, we’ve been helping individuals, families, businesses and communities grow through smart financial services that improve lives. Our list of firsts is extensive, and it’s one that continues to expand as we explore the intersection of tech-driven innovation, dedicated people and focused community impact. Fifth Third is one of the few U.S.-based banks to have been named among Ethisphere’s World’s Most Ethical Companies® for several years. With a commitment to taking care of our customers, employees, communities and shareholders, our goal is not only to be the nation’s highest performing regional bank, but to be the bank people most value and trust.

Fifth Third Bank, National Association is a federally chartered institution. Fifth Third Bancorp is the indirect parent company of Fifth Third Bank, and its common stock is traded on the NASDAQ® Global Select Market under the symbol "FITB." Investor information and press releases can be viewed at www.53.com.

About Brex

Brex is the intelligent finance platform built for speed and control. Combining corporate cards, banking, treasury, expense management, bill pay, travel, and accounting, Brex helps companies spend smarter and move faster in 120 countries. By integrating AI across every workflow, Brex enables founders and finance teams to eliminate manual work, do more with less, and accelerate impact. More than 35,000 companies from startups to enterprises run on Brex, including Anthropic, Arm, ServiceTitan, and Robinhood. Learn more at brex.com.

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Fifth Third

Adrienne Gutbier (Media Relations)

adrienne.gutbier@53.com | 513-534-8038

Matt Curoe (Investor Relations)

matthew.curoe@53.com | 513-534-2345

Brex

Danielle Bereznak

press@brex.com

Source: Fifth Third Bank