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Ankur Jain, Diego Scotti and I zoomed from three different NYC locations just ahead of their announcement at Money 20-20. Zoom is a verb. So is Venmo. And Bilt’s brand journey is on a similar trajectory. Bilt Founder Ankur Jain (left) and Venmo GM Diego Scotti (right) Bilt & Venmo When consumers use your brand as a verb you’ve usually won. Why? Price elasticity. Check. Consumer culture acceptance. Check. Loyalty and frequency of use. Check. If you’ve ever split rent with roommates using Venmo, you know the mix of convenience and relief that comes with one tap and no math. For millions of young renters, that’s become a ritual of modern adulthood — quick, social, and intuitive. Now imagine if that same experience could handle your rent, your mortgage, your favorite local restaurant, and your gym, all while earning rewards. That’s the vision behind a new partnership announced today at Money 20/20 between Venmo and Bilt, two brands at the intersection of payments, lifestyle, and loyalty. Together, they’re bringing rent and mortgage payments — along with local commerce — directly into the Venmo experience. It’s a first-of-its-kind move that redefines how people pay where they live, dine, and play. Beginning in early 2026, Bilt Members will be able to pay rent and mortgage through Venmo and use Venmo as a payment method across Bilt’s network of more than 45,000 neighborhood merchants: restaurants, gyms, pharmacies, and more. Members can use their Venmo balance, bank account, or any linked card and earn Bilt Points on every housing payment — redeemable for travel, fitness, dining, or even a down payment on a future home. For Venmo, this marks the first step in a broader in-app commerce strategy. For Bilt, it’s an expansion of its ecosystem of home and neighborhood loyalty. And for consumers — especially Gen Z and younger Millennials — it’s a step toward what I’d call friction-free living. Remember: “useful is the new cool for brands” and partnerships can be a key bridge to increased usefulness. MORE FOR YOU Two Brands, One Customer Mindset In my interviews with Ankur Jain, Founder and CEO of Bilt, and Diego Scotti, General Manager of Consumer at PayPal (which owns Venmo), both leaders returned to the same core idea: customers crave simplicity and value. “This is the biggest no-brainer partnership I’ve ever done,” Jain told me. “Venmo and Bilt share almost identical demographics and lifestyles. You move into your home, pay your rent or mortgage with one click, walk down the street and pay your restaurant tab or your SoulCycle class — all through Bilt and Venmo. It just connects your neighborhood and your community in a way that, honestly, we should have done a year ago.” Scotti agreed. “Millions of people already use Venmo to split rent with roommates and pay their landlords, now we’re making that experience even more seamless and rewarding,” he said. “We’re thrilled to partner with a company that shares our relentless focus on innovation and the customer.” Both executives described the collaboration as a meeting of shared DNA: Venmo brings social connection and trust; Bilt brings everyday utility and rewards. Together, they’re creating what Scotti called “an ecosystem of engagement.” “When I joined the company, I wanted to take Venmo’s incredibly loved brand to the next level,” Scotti said. “We’ve always been a verb. But now we’re expanding from peer-to-peer to peer-to-place. It’s about letting people move money in the ways that matter most to their lives — from paying rent to shopping to direct deposits to commerce inside the app.” The Rent Revolution Meets Social Commerce If the early 2010s were about digitizing money transfers, the mid-2020s are about integrating them into daily living. And few categories are more ripe for innovation than housing — the single largest monthly expense for most Americans. Jain explained it simply: “Rent has been this disconnected, friction-filled experience. Some people pay through their landlord’s portal, some use bank transfers, some use Venmo — but none of it tied to rewards or credit-building. Now, it’s all one seamless ecosystem. You open the Venmo app, you see your rent bill, you pay, you get your Bilt Points, and you build your credit history. Then you go out to dinner and use those same points to pay your tab. That’s the magic.” It’s also a model that ties local commerce back to home and community. Venmo users can pay at local restaurants, gyms, and stores connected through Bilt’s merchant network — keeping dollars circulating in neighborhoods while creating new loyalty loops for businesses. Scotti called this “the connective tissue” between financial services and lifestyle. “This partnership is about making Venmo more useful in people’s real lives,” he said. “It’s a step toward being the main financial relationship for our customers — not just how they send money, but how they spend, save, and engage every day.” Gen Z’s Demand for Utility and Ease As someone who’s studied Gen Z and co-authored “Marketing to Gen Z” (Harper Collins), I see this move as part of a bigger shift in consumer psychology. Today’s emerging adults are pragmatic idealists — they love brands that feel good but demand brands that do good for their daily lives. They reward usefulness as much as purpose which often surprises strategy leaders. In survey after survey, Gen Z describes financial stress as a top concern. They’re eager for tools that help them manage money without friction, fees, or judgment. They also want to avoid the fragmented maze of accounts, apps, and passwords that define much of adult finance. That’s what makes the Venmo–Bilt partnership so compelling. It fuses emotional resonance (Venmo’s social, communal feel) with functional utility (Bilt’s rewards and credit-building). In the process, it reduces life friction — one of the most powerful loyalty drivers I’ve seen across industries, from travel to tech to housing. As Jain put it, “It should just be that simple. That magical. That easy to pay and split with your friends. You shouldn’t have to call the restaurant for a receipt or waste time figuring out who owes what. You just go have fun — and your payments take care of themselves.” A Shared Vision for Everyday Commerce When I asked Scotti and Jain what makes great partnerships endure — the Apple x Nike kind of synergy — both pointed to the same ingredients: shared values, customer obsession, and leadership commitment. “This started as a conversation between Ankur and me,” Scotti said. “We went through the ups and downs, but what kept us going was a mutual commitment to the customer. It’s about creating value that’s never existed before. That’s how we’ll continue to innovate.” Jain added, “Our debates are always about how to best serve the customer. Whether it’s student housing or luxury condos, we’re designing an experience that connects your home, your neighborhood, and your social life. From your first apartment to your first mortgage, Venmo and Bilt should just make life easier.” It’s easy to see how the partnership could evolve — from student housing and neighborhood merchants to travel, ticketing, and beyond. Venmo has already announced plans for new reward frameworks tied to total relationships, not just transactions. And with Bilt’s footprint in one in four rental buildings nationwide, the scale is already there. Scotti hinted that this is only the beginning: “We’re very excited to have Bilt as our first partner for in-app commerce.” A Win/Win Partnership For a generation that treats “Venmo me” as second nature, this partnership marks a natural evolution. It’s no longer just about moving money — it’s about moving through life seamlessly, with brands that anticipate needs instead of adding friction. Bilt and Venmo are betting that convenience plus community equals loyalty. And they might be right. In a world of complex financial tools, what consumers — especially Gen Z — crave most is simplicity that feels smart. A one-tap, rewarding, neighborhood-connected life might just be the future of everyday commerce. Editorial StandardsReprints & Permissions
