NAYA vs Unit: Operational Control vs BaaS Lock-in
Why switch to NAYA?
Unit is a Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) provider that offers a complete 'bank in a box' with compliance, cards, and accounts tied to specific sponsor banks. NAYA is the 'Operations Layer' that sits above BaaS. By using NAYA, you own your ledger and reconciliation logic, giving you the flexibility to switch BaaS providers or go direct-to-bank without rewriting your core infrastructure.
Cons of Unit
- ✕High vendor lock-in (hard to switch banks)
- ✕Operational logic is tied to Unit's specific API
- ✕Risk of sponsor bank instability affecting your entire business
Pros of NAYA
- ✓Complete portability of your financial core
- ✓Works with multiple BaaS providers simultaneously
- ✓Granular control over ledger logic and asset tracking
Key Differentiators
Bank Agnosticism
NAYA is not tied to a specific sponsor bank. We are the infrastructure that manages your data across ANY BaaS or direct bank relationship.
Portability
If you leave Unit, you lose your ledger history. With NAYA, you own your financial data and history independent of your banking partner.
Deep Reconciliation
NAYA reconciles your Unit data against your internal product data, ensuring no 'ghost' accounts or balance drift.
The Lock-in Problem
Building directly on a BaaS provider like Unit is fast, but it creates a massive dependency. If Unit raises prices, changes risk policies, or if their sponsor bank has regulatory issues, your entire business is stuck.
NAYA: The Independent Core
NAYA acts as your independent financial core. You record transactions in NAYA first, then execute them via Unit. This means your customer balances, transaction history, and business logic live in YOUR infrastructure, not Unit's.
This architecture allows you to:
1. Add a second bank partner for redundancy.
2. Negotiate better terms by having portability.
3. Survive a BaaS provider outage or failure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is NAYA a BaaS provider?
No. NAYA does not issue cards or hold funds. We provide the software infrastructure (Ledger, Recon) that helps you MANAGE your BaaS provider or bank partner.
Can I use NAYA with Unit?
Yes! Smart fintechs use NAYA as their internal system of record while using Unit for the regulated banking rails. This 'dual-core' approach reduces risk and improves data control.
Do I need NAYA if I use Unit?
Unit provides a ledger, but it is a 'bank ledger'. You still need an 'operational ledger' to track your product state (e.g. 'available for withdrawal' vs 'pending'). NAYA bridges that gap.