# Chime

> Chime is an American financial technology company that provides fee-free mobile banking services through partner banks.

Source: https://www.neobank.wiki/wiki/chime
Last updated: 2026-08-11
Categories: Financial technology, United States neobanks, Partner-bank neobanks, Consumer neobanks, Companies founded in 2013

**Chime** is an American [financial technology](/wiki/neobank) company founded in 2013 and headquartered in San Francisco, California. It provides fee-free mobile banking services in partnership with chartered banks rather than operating as a licensed bank itself.[^chime1] Chime is one of the largest [neobanks](/wiki/neobank) in the United States by customer count.

## History

Chime was founded in 2013 by Chris Britt and Ryan King, and publicly launched in 2014. Its early growth was driven by a fee-free current account and an emphasis on serving customers underserved by traditional banks. The company popularised the "get paid early" feature, crediting direct-deposit wages up to two days ahead of schedule.[^chime2]

## Founders

**[Chris Britt](/wiki/chris-britt)** is the co-founder and chief executive officer of [Chime](/wiki/chime), one of the largest U.S. [neobanks](/wiki/neobank) by customer count. Raised in Mount Vernon, New York, Britt graduated from Tulane University with a degree in history and an economics minor before beginning his career at Accenture and later working in product and general-management roles at Visa and prepaid-card company Green Dot. Those experiences shaped his view that fee-heavy retail banking left millions of working Americans poorly served. In 2013 he co-founded Chime in San Francisco to deliver fee-free mobile checking, early direct deposit and credit-building tools through partner banks—helping popularise features now common across American digital banking.

**[Ryan King](/wiki/ryan-king)** is co-founder and chief technology officer of Chime. As the company's technology lead from the beginning, King built the mobile-first account experience and the systems behind Chime's signature early-payday credit, automated savings round-ups and fraud controls. Together, Britt and King scaled Chime from a prepaid-card startup into one of the most valuable U.S. consumer fintechs, emphasising transparency and accessibility over branch networks.

## Partner-bank model

Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank: customer deposits are held at partner banks that provide FDIC insurance. Chime owns the brand, app and customer relationship—the classic U.S. front-end [neobank](/wiki/neobank) structure also used by peers such as [Current](/wiki/current).

## Products

Chime offers a spending account with a debit card, an optional savings account with automated round-ups, a secured credit-builder card, and short-term overdraft coverage marketed as SpotMe. Deposits are held by partner banks, which provide federal deposit insurance.

## Reception

Chime's growth made it one of the most valuable US fintech startups. Commentators have credited its fee transparency while noting the risks of account freezes flagged by automated fraud systems.

## Infobox

- **Type**: Private
- **Industry**: Financial technology
- **Founded**: 2013
- **Founders**: Chris Britt, Ryan King
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, U.S.
- **Model**: Partner-bank neobank

## Frequently asked questions

### What is Chime?

Chime is an American financial technology company that provides fee-free mobile banking services through partner banks.

### When was Chime founded?

Chime was founded in 2013.

### Where is Chime headquartered?

Chime is headquartered in San Francisco, U.S..

### Who founded Chime?

Chime was founded by Chris Britt, Ryan King.

### What type of company is Chime?

Chime is described as Partner-bank neobank in its neobank.wiki profile.


## References

[^chime1]: Chime partners with chartered banks that hold customer deposits and provide deposit insurance. — https://www.chime.com/policy/partner-banks/
[^chime2]: The "get paid early" feature credits direct deposits when the payment file is received. — https://www.chime.com/get-paid-early/