You must be able to lend to sustain yourself; interchange rev is insufficient (especially with FedNow instant payments almost GA), and even becoming a lender is hard. You need to partner with a bank partner who has a charter, you have to be able to securitize the debt, etc.

Banks have a serious moat. Go where the margin is, and that isn’t deposit accounts. Like airlines, they’re a utility masquerading as a business.