ATB Financial, an Alberta-based financial institution with over $100 billion in total assets and assets under management, has collaborated with Nmbr, Canada’s first dedicated embedded payroll software provider, to launch ATB Payroll. This partnership marks the first time a Canadian financial institution has partnered with a payroll infrastructure provider, enabling ATB’s small business clients to manage payroll directly from their business banking portal.
For many small and rural businesses, payroll remains a complex and labor-intensive process. Managing data across multiple systems, submitting remittances to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), issuing pay stubs and T4s, reporting to both the CRA and internal accounting systems, and ensuring compliance across provinces often leads to difficulties. This complexity results in nearly 40% of businesses still compensating employees via e-transfer, cheque, or cash. ATB Payroll aims to alleviate this friction by automating these processes, removing the need for small business customers to undergo extensive onboarding with a third-party payroll provider.
Simon Bourgeois, CEO of Nmbr, commented on the initiative, stating, “Payroll has long been one of the biggest pain points for small businesses. Our mission is to make payroll frictionless, embedding it in the platforms where business owners already do their work. By embedding payroll directly into ATB’s digital banking experience, we’re giving Alberta’s entrepreneurs back valuable time and control, while helping the bank deliver real innovation to its customers.”
The integration combines ATB’s client relationships and financial infrastructure with Nmbr’s modern payroll APIs. This creates an experience that supports compliance and convenience, allowing business clients to access payroll through their ATB Business Portal. Key features include real-time account balance verification, tax compliance management, and expedited payment processing, offering two-day payroll at no additional cost—a first among major Canadian financial institutions.
Azim Esmail, Associate Vice President at ATB Ventures, highlighted the bank’s strategic intent: “At ATB, we are constantly seeking new innovations to better support and empower Alberta businesses. Developing and launching tools that simplify critical operations for our clients is a powerful example of how we can use innovation to help them grow and thrive.”
ATB Payroll is currently undergoing a pilot phase with an initial group of customers. ATB plans for a broader rollout of the new payroll feature to more clients in 2026. This partnership is aligned with ATB’s broader strategy to enhance the tools and services available through its business banking platform, positioning the bank as a leader in digital financial innovation in Canada. Nmbr, founded by Simon Bourgeois, Drew Millington, and Kevin Langlois, specializes in providing APIs and embeddable front-end components to simplify the development and launch of payroll software for businesses.
