Zelle network expands by 15%

Zelle’s network grew about 15% in 2025, driven mainly by small community banks and credit unions joining the peer‑to‑peer payments service.

What the 15% expansion means

• Zelle had about 2,200 participating financial institutions at the end of 2024 and roughly 2,537 by the end of 2025, which is an increase of about 337 institutions, or ~15%.​

• More than 2,300 financial institutions are now on the network overall, and Zelle says it reaches roughly 80% of U.S. bank and credit union accounts.

Who joined the network

• In 2025, 337 banks and credit unions either went live on Zelle or signed up to offer it; 97% of them had under 10 billion dollars in assets, meaning they were mostly smaller community institutions.

• These additions brought Zelle eligibility to at least 13 million more bank and credit union accounts across 46 U.S. states and territories.

Strategy behind the growth

• Zelle’s owner, Early Warning Services, focused on rural areas and underserved communities by partnering with reseller and infrastructure firms such as Velera and Alacriti to make integration easier for small banks and credit unions.

• Since most large banks already offer Zelle, expanding among community banks and credit unions is one of the few remaining ways for the network to grow its reach.

Quick impact snapshot

• Network size: about 2,537 institutions at end‑2025, up from about 2,200 a year earlier.​

• Composition: roughly 95–97% of participating institutions are community banks and credit unions.

• Coverage: about 80% of U.S. bank and credit union accounts can now access Zelle.

Key figures table