DRUO
DRUO is a direct-debit payment network that lets consumers pay merchants directly from bank accounts via a self-serve platform and REST APIs, serving SMB merchants and individuals across the US and Latin America.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersMiami, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What DRUO does
DRUO is a direct-debit payment network founded in 2021 and incorporated in Delaware as DRUO, Inc., with operational headquarters in Miami, Florida. The company operates a horizontal two-sided platform enabling consumers to pay merchants directly from their bank accounts without cards or third-party payment apps, while merchants accept those payments through a self-serve business profile or API integration. The platform claims connectivity to over 10,000 financial institutions across the Americas with access to more than 1 billion bank accounts, currently operating in the United States, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru.
The underlying technology is an API-first, REST-based platform supporting eight product surfaces (Accounts, Connect, Checkout, End Users, Payments, Payouts, Recurring Plans, Transfers) with OAuth2 authentication, 24-hour token expiration, HMAC-SHA512-signed webhooks for real-time event notifications, and a developer portal with Postman collections and sandbox. The platform supports online, in-person (tap/scan/QR), and automatic recurring payment flows and claims 25-50x lower fraud rates than traditional card payments through end-to-end encryption and multi-step verification.
DRUO's business model is primarily transaction-fee based on the merchant side, while consumers pay nothing to use the service, creating a freemium-driven two-sided network effect. Distribution combines a self-serve PLG website with localized Spanish-language sites, an API/developer channel targeting acquirers and third-party integrators, and Calendly-scheduled enterprise sales demos. The company has raised three rounds of undisclosed funding (Unpopular Ventures in 2022, Visa Inclusive Fintech Accelerator in 2024, and a Global PayTech Ventures-led seed in October 2025) and has announced a target to expand into 30 European markets by 2026.
DRUO firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DRUO
- Legal name
- DRUO, Inc.
- Website
- https://druo.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- DRUO is a direct-debit payment network that lets consumers pay merchants directly from bank accounts via a self-serve platform and REST APIs, serving SMB merchants and individuals across the US and Latin America.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DRUO industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Payment Processing
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232), Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199), Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Merchant Payment Gateways (API/Hosted Checkout) (FSAMACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- A2A Checkout & Merchant Acceptance Solutions (FSAMAFAF), Bank-to-Bank Transfers & Pay-by-Bank (Consumer & Merchant) (FSAMAFAC), Integrated Payment Processors (PSP/Acquirer) (FSAMABAA)
Keywords
Where DRUO is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Miami
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
DRUO business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Transaction Processing Fees: DRUO charges merchants transaction fees for processing payments from bank accounts. The fee structure includes both fixed fees and variable fees based on transaction amount. The platform eliminates card middlemen and their associated fees, offering significantly lower transaction costs than traditional payment methods.
- Consumer Payments (Free): DRUO does not charge consumers any fees for payments. This creates a two-sided network effect where free consumer access encourages merchant adoption. Consumer revenue is indirect, driven by merchant transaction volume.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free bank account payments for consumers |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Merchant transaction processing with free or near-zero fees |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
DRUO product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DRUO operates a direct-debit payment network that connects businesses with consumers' bank accounts, enabling payments to be initiated directly from bank accounts without cards or payment apps. The platform integrates with 10,000+ financial institutions across the Americas (1+ billion bank accounts) and provides merchants with near-zero transaction fees, real-time webhook notifications, and a comprehensive REST API for integration. Consumers can pay any merchant on the DRUO network free of charge via one-click or automatic recurring payments, while merchants pay transaction fees to accept these direct bank-to-bank payments.
Product overview
DRUO is a global direct-debit payment network offering a unified platform for bank account-based payments. The core DRUO Platform connects over 10,000 financial institutions and one billion accounts, enabling businesses to accept payments directly from bank accounts. The platform includes the DRUO Developer Portal with comprehensive REST APIs (Accounts, Connect, Checkout, Payments, Payouts, Transfers, Recurring Plans) for third-party integrations. Consumer-facing products include DRUO Pay with Bank Account and Consumer Accounts for personal payments, while DRUO for Sellers and Merchant Accounts serve business payment acceptance needs. Additional services include Business Demos for sales engagement. The platform supports online, in-person, and automatic recurring payment methods with fraud protection 25x better than traditional payments.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- DRUO Platform Global direct-debit payment network enabling businesses to accept payments directly from bank accounts. Connects with 10,000+ financial institutions and supports online, in-person, and automatic recurring payments.
- DRUO Developer Portal Self-serve developer platform providing REST APIs, documentation, Postman collections, and developer tools for building payment integrations. Supports OAuth2 authentication and covers Accounts, Connect, Checkout, Payments, Payouts, Transfers, and Recurring Plans APIs.
- DRUO for Sellers Merchant-facing payment acceptance solution allowing businesses to accept payments directly from customers' bank accounts. Features free or near-zero fees, claimed 25x less fraud than traditional payments, and integration with checkout flows.
- DRUO Pay with Bank Account Consumer-facing payment product enabling users to pay directly from their bank account online, in person via tap/scan/QR code, or automatically for recurring payments. No fees are charged to consumers.
- DRUO Consumer Account Personal account type that allows individual users to connect their bank account and pay any merchant on the DRUO network with a single click or via automatic recurring payments, free of charge.
- DRUO Merchant Account Business profile that enables merchants to accept payments directly from customer bank accounts. Includes merchant support, transaction tools, and settlement services.
Quantifiable outcome
- 50x lower fraud rates than traditional payments
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use DRUO
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
DRUO technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
DRUO partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
DRUO competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Plaid: Plaid provides bank account connectivity and A2A payment infrastructure used by thousands of fintechs. It directly competes with DRUO's core proposition of linking consumers' bank accounts to merchants/platforms for direct payments, and serves overlapping developer and merchant segments.
- TrueLayer: TrueLayer provides open-banking A2A payment and data infrastructure across the UK and Europe. It is a direct competitor to DRUO in European pay-by-bank and is also an emerging developer-first alternative for merchants and platforms in the same geographies DRUO plans to enter.
- Trustly: Trustly is a European pay-by-bank network connecting merchants directly to consumer bank accounts for online payments. It is highly relevant given DRUO's announced expansion into 30 European markets and offers an established A2A alternative in the geographies DRUO is targeting.
- GoCardless: GoCardless is a global direct-debit payment network focused on ACH, SEPA, and BACS payments from bank accounts. It is one of the closest comparables to DRUO in terms of direct-debit-first positioning, recurring payments, and merchant value proposition.
- Dwolla: Dwolla is a US-focused ACH/pay-by-bank API platform enabling businesses to send and receive payments directly from bank accounts. It is a near-direct competitor to DRUO's direct-debit payment network, with a similar developer-first GTM and transaction-based pricing.
Broad incumbents
- Zelle: Zelle is a bank-owned US A2A payment network used by hundreds of millions of consumers. While consumer-facing and bank-channel rather than a developer API, it represents the dominant A2A benchmark in the US market where DRUO operates.
- Stripe Financial Connections: Stripe offers bank account linking and ACH Direct Debit as part of its broader payments platform. While Stripe's core is card processing, its Financial Connections/A2A offering directly competes with DRUO's bank-to-merchant payment flow for any merchant already using Stripe.
- Adyen: Adyen is a global payment processor offering unified online, in-person, and direct-debit payment methods including SEPA Direct Debit. It overlaps with DRUO at enterprise merchants needing multi-method, multi-currency payment acceptance, particularly in Europe.
- Visa Direct: Visa Direct is a global push-payment network enabling A2A transfers via card rails. It is a broader-incumbent alternative to DRUO's bank-direct debit for real-time merchant payouts, with significantly greater regulatory and banking relationships.
Emerging players
- Modern Treasury: Modern Treasury provides bank-account-based payment APIs (ACH, wire, RTP) for businesses. It overlaps with DRUO's API-first payment infrastructure from a developer and enterprise perspective, though its focus is more B2B payouts than consumer pay-by-bank.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
DRUO social profiles
Digital presenceDRUO financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DRUO leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
DRUO funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DRUO M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about DRUO
What does DRUO do?
DRUO operates a direct-debit payment network that connects businesses with consumers' bank accounts, enabling payments to be initiated directly from bank accounts without cards or payment apps. The platform integrates with 10,000+ financial institutions across the Americas (1+ billion bank accounts) and provides merchants with near-zero transaction fees, real-time webhook notifications, and a comprehensive REST API for integration. Consumers can pay any merchant on the DRUO network free of charge via one-click or automatic recurring payments, while merchants pay transaction fees to accept these direct bank-to-bank payments.
Is DRUO a public or private company?
DRUO is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was DRUO founded?
DRUO was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is DRUO based?
DRUO is headquartered in Miami, United States, in the North America region.
How does DRUO make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Transaction Processing Fees are the primary driver. The others are consumer Payments (Free).
Who are DRUO's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Plaid, TrueLayer, Trustly, GoCardless and Dwolla. Broad incumbents are Zelle, Stripe Financial Connections, Adyen and Visa Direct. Modern Treasury is listed as an emerging player.
Does DRUO have an API?
Yes. DRUO offers a comprehensive REST API enabling developers to build payment experiences. The API supports multiple endpoints including Accounts API, Connect API, Checkout API, End Users API, Payments API, Payouts API, Recurring Plans API, Transfers API, and Webhooks. Authentication uses OAuth2 with Bearer tokens that expire in 24 hours. The platform covers thousands of financial institutions across the Americas. Available features include: account connection and validation, transaction initiation, authorization, validation, cancellation and refund, recurring payment plans, and real-time webhook notifications for transaction and account events. A Postman collection is available for testing. Developer documentation is at developer.druo.com.
What industry is DRUO in?
DRUO's product category is Payment Processing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMACAA, Merchant Payment Gateways (API/Hosted Checkout), with a secondary code of FSAMAFAF, A2A Checkout & Merchant Acceptance Solutions. Its NAICS code is 52232 and its SIC code is 6199.