From signing in to sending payments, from cashing checks to collecting invoices, each transaction is protected by layers of security that work quietly and consistently in the background, so that you can focus on growing your business.
Relay is a financial technology company and is not an FDIC-insured Bank. Banking services provided by Thread Bank, Member FDIC.
Running a business today means moving fast, getting creative, and keeping cash flow steady. Small businesses and their accountants & bookkeepers know that every decision counts and that trust is one of the most valuable currencies you have. But when industry reports suggest that nearly half of all cyberattacks are aimed at small and medium-sized businesses, security is a consideration you can’t ignore.
At Relay, we worry about security so you don’t have to — but in case you’re curious, here’s how we do it. Our approach is proactive, low friction, and always on. From secure login to fraud detection, continuous monitoring, and regulatory-grade safeguards, we look at security from every angle so that you can run your business finances in Relay with complete peace of mind.
This month, we’re highlighting the many ways Relay keeps your money secure, starting with one of our newest features: magic links.
Smarter authentication: meet magic links
Our new login experience is built to give you dependable, secure access to your Relay account from anywhere.
Scammers often take advantage of holidays and travel, when people are more likely to be distracted or off routine. Techniques like phishing, where fake emails or login pages trick you into revealing sensitive information, are especially common during high-distraction periods. Other tactics, like SIM swapping, involve bad actors taking control of your phone number to intercept text-based login codes.
With magic links, there’s no need for SMS codes or phone networks. It’s a simpler, more reliable way to log in without sacrificing safety, especially if you’re travelling internationally or using a device without your regular phone plan.
Here’s how it works:
When you log in from a new device, you’ll receive a single-use login link by email.
If the link times out, it’s easy to request another one and try again.
Magic links don’t rely on phone numbers or SMS, which helps reduce phishing risks. And because they’re tied to the device where the login starts, they reduce the risk of someone hijacking the process remotely.
We’ve also considered the human side of trust and security. Many scams rely on social engineering, manipulating people into sharing credentials by pretending to be someone trustworthy. Our approach reduces unnecessary guesswork and cuts down on those vulnerable moments where a misplaced link or a hasty click could lead to a breach.
Whether you’re logging in from a coffee shop in Paris or a cabin on the Great Lakes, you can count on Relay to keep things running smoothly.
Safer money movement
Logging in securely is the first step. Protecting your transactions is the next. At Relay, we’ve invested in smarter processes and safeguards so money moves quickly without creating unnecessary risk.
Take check deposits as an example. For a long time, customers told us that waiting for funds to clear was frustrating. By improving our internal review systems — combining risk expertise, engineering, and smarter technology — we’ve improved our systems to safely cut down hold times and get money into your hands faster. Hold times vary based on account activity and review, but the goal is always the same: faster access without sacrificing security. We’ve applied the same thinking across other types of money movement:
Increased deposit and ACH limits → Risk‑based processing balances speed and safety, so you can access funds quickly while staying protected. Find out your new limits in your account.
Payment requests with passthrough accounts → Share a secure account instead of your real account number when receiving wires, keeping your real account information private.
Extra verification → For certain transactions, we may require additional verification to ensure only authorized activity proceeds.
These improvements add up to a simple equation: when humans and technology work together, security doesn’t have to slow you down. Each safeguard is designed to protect your business while keeping cash flow moving smoothly.
AI, done responsibly
AI is becoming an interesting part of the small business tech stack, but when it comes to sensitive information, not all tools are created equal. For example, you probably wouldn’t want to paste your company’s financial data into ChatGPT or another free consumer AI tool.
At Relay, we’re building AI directly into our platform, within a secure and regulated environment. For business owners, this unlocks the ability to make smarter financial decisions while keeping your information safe. In practice, that means turning your financial history into forward-looking insights. Not just alerts about what already happened, but forecasts and guidance about what’s next.
Some of the capabilities we’re working on include:
Spend insights to highlight unusual patterns and surface ways to save.
Forecasting tools that show how decisions today impact cash flow tomorrow.
Instant invoice generation to reduce manual work and speed up collections.
Reminder agents that nudge clients and vendors about payments automatically, so you get paid faster.
With Relay, you’ll get access to these AI-powered features in a way that’s thoughtful, transparent, and secure. It’s AI built for small businesses and their advisors, designed to level the playing field against larger competitors and act as a financial partner you can trust.
Always-on monitoring and regulatory safeguards
Cybersecurity is a discipline that touches every team at Relay. From the engineers who ship secure software, to the specialists who run penetration tests, to the risk and compliance experts who guide our processes, security is built into how we operate day to day.
That includes:
Building security recommendations into the design process and infrastructure from the start
Proactive security testing (simulated attacks, dynamic analysis, and automated scans) to keep Relay secure
Creating our own specialty security tools, including automated threat modeling, to stay ahead of the curve
Partnering with independent auditors and maintaining SOC II Type II certification
Backing your deposits with FDIC insurance through Thread Bank1
Still curious? Deep dive into our Trust Center or learn more about Account Security.
All this work is focused on one goal: keeping your business money and data safe.
Security isn’t a feature we tack on later. It’s built into every decision we make. From login to payments to monitoring, our protections are layered, effective, and designed to work quietly in the background. Strong enough that you can trust them, seamless enough that they don’t get in your way.
Ready to bring peace of mind to your finances? Sign up for Relay.
