Nacha Names dhango as Preferred Partner for Risk, Fraud, and Open Banking

Nacha has designated dhango as a Preferred Partner for Risk and Fraud Prevention, Compliance, and Open Banking. This partnership highlights the increasing necessity for software platforms to integrate sophisticated, white-labeled ACH infrastructure that handles complex underwriting and risk management natively, ensuring the integrity of high-volume payment originations across the network.

What was announced

The announcement centers on dhango joining the Nacha Preferred Partner Program, specifically targeting the domains of Risk and Fraud Prevention, Compliance, and Open Banking. dhango’s core offering is a white-labeled payments infrastructure that allows software platforms to embed ACH functionality via a single API. This technical integration is designed to streamline the entire lifecycle of an ACH transaction for platforms that might otherwise struggle with the regulatory and operational overhead of direct network participation.

The infrastructure includes a comprehensive set of tools for merchant onboarding and underwriting, alongside automated KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML (Anti-Money Laundering) screening processes. To protect the network and the originating platforms, dhango provides authorization management and granular exposure and velocity controls. These features are particularly relevant for high-volume originators who require real-time monitoring to prevent fraud and manage liquidity risks. Additionally, the platform handles the complexities of return and dispute management and provides dedicated support for Third-Party Senders. This support is critical for platforms that act as intermediaries, ensuring they remain in compliance with specific Nacha rules governing multi-layered origination. By consolidating these functions—from initial merchant vetting to the final resolution of a disputed transaction—into a single interface, the partnership aims to provide software platforms with a scalable way to manage ACH payments while adhering to the rigorous standards set by Nacha.

"As organizations use software platforms to originate ACH payments, strong risk management and compliance practices are important to maintaining a safe ACH Network,"

Jane Larimer, Nacha President and CEO.

The companies involved

Nacha governs the ACH Network, the electronic clearinghouse used for direct deposits and direct payments in the United States. As the industry’s rule-making body, Nacha is responsible for the stability and security of a system that moves trillions of dollars and billions of transactions annually. The organization is led by Jane Larimer, who serves as President and CEO. Nacha’s Preferred Partner Program is a selective initiative that identifies providers whose offerings align with the network's goals of safety, security, and efficiency. The program is designed to help ACH Network participants identify technologies that can help them comply with the Nacha Operating Rules, which are updated regularly to reflect changes in technology and the regulatory landscape.

dhango is a fintech firm providing the underlying infrastructure that enables software companies to become payment providers. Its focus is on the "white-label" aspect of payments, allowing platforms to maintain their own branding and user experience while dhango manages the technical complexities of ACH origination. By providing a single API for onboarding, underwriting, and risk controls, dhango serves as a critical intermediary for SaaS platforms that need to handle high volumes of ACH transactions without building a bespoke banking stack. The company’s platform is built to handle the specific needs of modern software environments, where payments are often deeply integrated into broader business workflows, requiring a balance between user friction and robust security.

What this means

This partnership reflects a broader industry shift toward "compliance-as-a-service" within the payments stack. As software platforms increasingly act as the primary interface for financial services, the burden of maintaining network integrity is shifting toward the API providers that facilitate these connections. Nacha’s endorsement of dhango suggests that the market is moving away from fragmented, manual compliance checks toward automated, integrated risk management. This puts significant pressure on traditional banks and legacy processors to provide more developer-friendly, transparent risk tools. The inclusion of Open Banking in this partnership also indicates that the industry is bracing for a more interconnected, data-driven ACH ecosystem, where real-time verification and account data will become standard requirements for mitigating fraud in account-to-account transfers.