Bree is redefining inclusive lending in Canada. Powered by Flinks’ financial data API, Bree approves and delivers lines of credit in under 10 minutes, right when it matters most.
Serving overlooked Canadians with speed and care
Established by two Canadian founders, Bree is a Canadian fintech platform offering fast, no-risk lines of credit to individuals living paycheck to paycheck. Because Bree does not conduct credit checks, it is able to serve many Canadians often overlooked by traditional banks.
The product is simple: a frictionless line of credit to help cover rent, groceries, transportation, or emergency bills.
“With over half of Canadians living paycheck to paycheck, our mission is to help people when they need it most,” said Holly, Chief of Staff at Bree.
The bottleneck: Manual processes blocked growth
In the very early days, Bree’s application process required users to download and email PDF bank statements, each one reviewed manually by a team member. It was slow, unscalable, and unsustainable.
“It required a human to go through every file,” said Holly. “That’s just not scalable. It’s the difference between paying a bill on time and putting food on the dinner table.”
To grow, Bree needed a better solution that could:
- Eliminate manual reviews to speed up applications and free up team capacity
- Integrate seamlessly with their systems
- Provide instant access to customer financial data
- Enable real-time underwriting powered by transactional insights
That’s when Bree turned to Flinks, not just as a data provider but as a critical part of their tech stack.
Challenges
- Manual review of PDF bank statements slowed down applications and limited scalability.
- The lack of seamless data integration made it difficult to automate the underwriting process.
- Bree needed a faster, more reliable way to serve customers without relying on credit checks.
Solutions
The fix: Real-time financial data from Flinks
Bree chose Flinks from day one and never looked back. Unlike payday lenders who rely on static pay stubs, Bree uses real-time transaction data to make smarter, more responsible credit decisions.
Flinks Connect is fully embedded in Bree’s onboarding flow. New and returning users connect their bank accounts through Flinks, giving Bree secure, real-time access to transaction data. This data plays a critical role in powering a fast, digital experience for customers, removing paperwork, credit checks, and delays.
Bree’s product is built around speed and simplicity. With Flinks integrated into the flow, customers can connect their accounts in minutes and receive funds shortly after, without paperwork or delays.
Flinks’ transaction categorization and the speed of data delivery are critical to Bree’s operations. Customers now complete their application and receive funds in under 10 minutes with no paperwork, no credit checks, and no friction.
In user interviews, the feedback is overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the ease and speed of the experience.
Bree also selected Flinks over other providers due to its strong Canadian coverage, cost-effectiveness, and exceptional customer support.
“Misha (our Relationship Manager at Flinks) is always on call. When I text her, she’s already resolved the issue,” Holly said.
“That level of support has made a huge difference as we’ve scaled.”
Faster access, stronger results
With Flinks powering its underwriting, Bree delivers on its promise: fast, inclusive, no-risk access to cash advances when Canadians need it most.
“Flinks saves time, cuts down on manual work, and lets us scale. If we had stayed with the old process, we couldn’t have grown.” — Holly, Chief of Staff at Bree
What’s next for Bree: Scaling impact, not just operations
Bree has only scratched the surface of its potential. With over 20 million Canadians still living paycheck to paycheck and over 500,000 signups to date, the opportunity for impact is massive.
In the months ahead, Bree is focused on refining its core product, improving funnel performance, and reducing time-to-money for users. As the company scales, it’s also working to strengthen unit economics through smarter vendor partnerships—Flinks among them.
Longer-term, Bree aims to evolve into a comprehensive financial wellness platform. Planned features include subscription and bill tracking tools, credit score improvement resources, educational content, spending insights, and rewards for loyal customers.
“We want to do right by more Canadians. And Flinks helps make that possible.” — Holly, Chief of Staff at Bree
Key Takeaways
- Flinks enables Bree to approve and fund applications in under 10 minutes, without paperwork or credit checks.
- A success rate of over 90% for bank connections supports a high-converting, low-friction user experience.
- Bree has scaled efficiently while delivering fast, inclusive credit access to underserved Canadians.
