Participate

What Participate does

Participate (legal entity BLP, Inc.) is a SaaS provider of loan participation and syndication automation targeted at US banks, credit unions, community banks, CDFIs, and private credit firms. The company traces to BankLabs (originally Radius Group LLC, 2010); the Participate product line originated within BankLabs in 2016, received its first patents in 2022, and was spun out as an independent company in 2023 with investment from FINTOP Capital and JAM FINTOP Banktech. Headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, with roughly 15 employees, Participate markets itself as the first patented, end-to-end loan sales ecosystem that automates the full participation lifecycle — from NDAs and subscription management through document exchange, participation agreements, and post-sale servicing.

The core platform consists of modules for Balance Sheet Management, Automated Notifications, Document Repository, Integrated Agreements with electronic signatures, Real-Time Balance & Transaction History, and Smart Loan Optimization, plus standalone offerings including CMaaS (Credit Market as a Service), Purchased Loan Automation, Tokenized Loan Participations, the Participate Marketplace, an ROI Calculator, and a borrower-matching service. The platform runs as an API-first, cloud-based system with deep integrations into the dominant US banking technology stack — nCino, FIS IBS Core, Fiserv DNA, Moody's Lending Suite, and Baker Hill Loan Exchange — and holds four issued US patents (10,963,957; 11,521,265; 11,875,402; 12,236,481). The company achieved SOC 2 Type 2 certification in January 2025.

Revenue is generated through quote-based enterprise subscription fees for access to the loan sales ecosystem, transaction fees on loan participations routed through the network, and recurring servicing fees on loans that are participated out. The company claims a network of 1,800+ financial institutions, with 750+ institutions actively trading loans on the platform (the latter figure cited via Moody's) and over 1,000 platform users as of 2024. Marketing is primarily direct enterprise sales augmented by co-marketing with bank-core integration partners (nCino, Moody's, Baker Hill, FIS, Fiserv). Notable named customers include Citizens Bank, Wings Financial, and Coastal Commercial REIT.

Name

Participate

Legal name

BLP, Inc. dba Participate

Website

https://participateloan.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Participate is a SaaS platform that automates loan participation, syndication, and balance-sheet management for banks, credit unions, and private credit firms via a patented ecosystem integrated with major bank core systems and a network of 1,800+ financial institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Loan Participation and Syndication Software

NAICS

Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers (52231), Other Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (52239)

SIC

Loan Brokers (6163)

akta.pro primary industry

P2P Loan Syndication & Participation Platforms (FSAKAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Marketplace & Loan Aggregation Platforms (Borrower-Lender Matching) (FSAGAHAL), Loan Servicing Platforms (Billing, Statements, Customer Self-Service) (FSAGAHAH)

Keywords

• Loan participation automation
• Loan syndication software
• Balance sheet management
• Loan trading platform
• Financial institution SaaS

Headquarters

HQ city

Little Rock

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Servicing Fees on Participated Loans: Charge servicing fees on loans that are participated out. This creates recurring revenue from the ongoing management of participated loans.
2. Loan Participation Automation Platform: Platform fees for access to loan sales ecosystem enabling banks to originate, distribute, and manage loans at scale. Revenue derived from transaction volumes and platform usage for loan participation and syndication automation.
3. Network Access & Marketplace: Access to the Participate network of 1800+ financial institutions for loan distribution, enabling originators to connect with participants and buyers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Participate offers a patented, cloud-based loan sales automation ecosystem that enables banks, credit unions, and private credit firms to originate, distribute, and service loan participations, syndications, whole loan sales, and loan assignments. The platform automates NDAs, document exchange, subscription management, and participation agreements, and connects financial institutions through a marketplace of 1800+ institutions with deep integrations into major banking core systems.

Product overview

Participate is a SaaS platform and ecosystem for loan participation and syndication automation. The core offering consists of Participate Enterprise (the patented end-to-end loan sales ecosystem), CMaaS (Credit Market as a Service), Purchased Loan Automation, Tokenized Loan Participations, and the Participate Marketplace connecting 1800+ financial institutions. The platform modules include Balance Sheet Management, Document Repository, Automated Notifications, Integrated Agreements, and Smart Loan Optimization. Supporting tools include an ROI Calculator. Previously, the company (BankLabs) developed Construct (construction draw management) and +Pay, which were sold to Abrigo in 2022. The company also offers borrowers a matching service to connect with bank lenders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Participate Enterprise

Quantifiable outcome

• Time to close reduced by 2-4 weeks
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability2 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Community Capital TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 April 2025Revolutionary partnership creating the largest, most integrated platform for loan trading in the U.S. Combines Participate's patented loan participation automation with Community Capital's expansive digital marketplace. End-to-end solution empowers banks, credit unions, and lenders to streamline transactions, boost liquidity, and scale lending operations.
• Atlantic Community Bankers Bank (ACBB)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 November 2024Partnership to transform loan trading for financial institutions by combining Participate's patented technology with ACBB's established network of over 400 financial institutions. Streamlines and scales loan participations, giving banks access to efficient and transparent trading solutions.
• FiservcoreTechnology or Integration · 23 October 2024Successful integration with Fiserv DNA streamlines key loan participation processes such as payments, advances, and rate adjustments. Eliminates manual reconciliations, reduces errors, and enhances operational efficiency for financial institutions.
• nCinocoreTechnology or Integration · 23 April 2024Strategic partnership and integration with nCino enables financial institutions using nCino to seamlessly sell loans directly within their platform, empowering them to execute participations at the click of a button. This integration offers unprecedented efficiency, allowing banks to accelerate loan sales while mitigating risk and boosting fee income.
• Moody'scoreTechnology or IntegrationLoan Participation & Syndication Automation embedded into Moody's Lending Suite via API. Creates seamless originate-to-distribute workflow where borrower, document, covenant, and Moody's Scores data move through in the same connected flow. One-click distribution to 750+ institutions plus automated post-sale servicing.
• Baker HillmajorTechnology or IntegrationParticipate powers Baker Hill Loan Exchange to modernize commercial loan participations. Integration enables enhanced loan exchange capabilities for Baker Hill customers.
• FIScoreTechnology or IntegrationIndustry-first automated loan participation platform integrated with FIS IBS Core. Streamlines loan participation processes for FIS client financial institutions.
• BankLabscoreOthersParent company that spun off Participate. BankLabs was founded in 2010 with a vision to redefine banking through innovative technology. After sale of Construct and +Pay to Abrigo in 2022, BankLabs focused on development and enhancement of Participate.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• FIS: Core banking and lending software provider (FIS IBS Core). Comparable because Participate is integrated with FIS for loan participation, and FIS is a deep incumbent serving the same bank customers.
• Fiserv: Core banking provider (Fiserv DNA) integrated with Participate. Functions as a peer/comparator for community-bank lending tech wallets and as a partner that could broaden its own participation tooling.
• Finastra: Global financial software provider covering core, lending, and treasury workflows. Listed as a partner on Participate's homepage and competes broadly for the same community-bank lending technology budget.
• Temenos: Global banktech platform with lending and core modules. Comparable as a broad incumbent that could expand functionality overlapping with Participate's participation automation.
• nCino: Cloud banking platform that hosts Participate via API. Comparable as a partner channel that could in theory build competing participation functionality natively within its owned platform serving 1,000+ banks.
• Jack Henry: Core and lending software provider for community banks. Comparable as a banktech incumbent that competes for the same customer wallet and could conceivably extend into participation automation.
• Abrigo: Large U.S. banktech provider of lending, BSA/AML, and core-adjacent workflows. Directly comparable because Abrigo acquired BankLabs' Construct and +Pay products in 2022, sitting in the same lending-automation orbit as Participate and competing for the same community-bank budget.
• Moody's (Lending Suite): Owns the Moody's Lending Suite that embeds Participate via API. Comparable as a partner that itself could extend into participation automation, plus scores-and-data inputs that underpin lending decisions.
• Q2 (now part of Bluefin): Digital banking platform serving community and mid-market banks. Comparable as a peer in the lending-tech ecosystem targeting the same small-and-mid-bank buyer profile as Participate.

Direct peers

• Baker Hill: Originator of the Baker Hill Loan Exchange, which modernizes commercial loan participations. Direct overlap with Participate; the two companies are also integration partners, with Participate powering Baker Hill's marketplace functionality.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheBankLabs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/participate-loan

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Participate