About Hazel
Hazel is a bank-to-bank tokenized payment network built on the U.S. financial system - enabling FDIC-insured banks to send, settle, and receive payments instantly using tokenized deposits and stablecoins.
Why We Built Hazel
Vantage Bank is a $5 billion community bank headquartered in Texas, family and employee-owned, and in operation since 1923. We are not a fintech. We are not a software vendor. We are a bank - and that matters, because Hazel was built the way banks think.
For years, we watched the same shift every other community financial institution saw: new payment technologies emerging outside the regulated system or available only to the largest banks. As customer expectations evolve, the infrastructure needed to respond simply has not existed in a form community banks could actually use. So, we built it ourselves.
Starting in 2021, Vantage spent five years doing the unglamorous work; researching blockchain markets, building risk frameworks, aligning with regulators, learning from crypto clients, and proving the technology in live transactions. We did this all before asking any other institution to join.
The result is Hazel, a shared, programmable payment network built with accessibility at its core. Through a dual ledger account structure and file-based integration, Hazel works alongside your existing core systems rather than using a complicated integration. Wherever your institution is on its technology journey, there is a path to join the Hazel Network.
We built Hazel to ensure our customers had access to fast, instant payments and to retain customer deposits - deposits we use to invest in our communities. We created the Hazel Network to give other community financial institutions the same opportunity.
Who We Are: Hazel's Journey
Our Values and Culture
To provide a secure, programmable, and interoperable banking network that empowers financial institutions to innovate collaboratively, transact efficiently, and create enduring value through shared infrastructure and bank-led governance.
To establish the leading bank-owned financial network where participation expands intelligence, opportunity, and utility - enabling institutions of all sized to build, access, and scale next-generation financial products and services within a fair and entrusted ecosystem.
Hazel is built for the banks that build for their communities. Every design decision — from pricing to governance — starts with equity for institutions of every size. No bank gets a better deal based on their asset size.
We have built Hazel to meet financial institutions where they are and together we can go further to meet our customers' needs.
This isn't a product cycle. Tokenized banking infrastructure is the next phase of the financial system, and the banks that move now set the terms. We're building for the decade ahead.
Technology alone will not deliver the results our customers demand. Innovation requires people who understand both the opportunity and risks. Hazel is powered by bankers who understand the business.
Built with the Best
Hazel's infrastructure is assembled from institutions and technology providers who each bring something the network couldn't do without.
Getting Started
Intro Call
Schedule an intro call with a Hazel banker. We will walk you through the Hazel basics, show you the platform, explain what integration can look like, and answer any questions you may have. There is no commitment and Hazel is available for US banks and credit unions of all sizes.
Review & Qualification
We share information your financial institution and board will need to understand tokenized deposits including compliance briefs, risk framework documentation, and options for onboarding. Your team reviews it on your timeline. We confirm your integration tier and technical path.
Compliance & Legal Setup
Hazel provides day-one runbooks for your teams to follow, along with legal frameworks, customer deposit terms and conditions, custody documentation, and governance templates. BSA/AML, KYC/KYB, and OFAC controls are configured before you go live.
Core Integration
Hazel integrates into your bank core GL and AML platforms via file or API connectors. The Hazel side-core is accessed via a secure web portal. Customers can access their Hazel accounts through your online banking platform via an SSO connection.
Go Live on Hazel Network
When you go live as a member of the Hazel Network, you can move funds between member institutions and counterparties in real-time and at a lower cost than other payment rails. As the Hazel Network grows, so does your capability to seamlessly deliver faster, programmable payments to your customers.
How We Got Here: Hazel's Journey
Vantage Bank's Digital Asset Journey
2021 - Research & Exploration
Vantage began researching blockchain markets and evaluating custody solutions, laying the groundwork for what responsible bank participation in digital assets could look like.
Hazel News and Updates
Press releases, product updates, industry coverage, and insights from the team building Hazel; everything in one place so you can stay current as the network grows.
Participate, Vantage Bank & Custodia Announce Groundbreaking First On-Chain Loan Participation Payment Collaboration
Geolocation-Triggered Payments Made With Tokenized Bank Deposits Issued By Custodia And Vantage Bank
Vantage Bank and Custodia Announce Launch of Tokenized Deposits for U.S. Banks
TBA to offer pilot access for tokenized deposit capabilities following Vantage Bank launch - Texas Bankers Association
Participate, Vantage Bank & Custodia Announce Groundbreaking First On-Chain Loan Participation Payment Collaboration