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# Fifth Third's Newline Co-Founder John Piazza Departs Bank
- URL: https://www.theglobalbanker.com/fifth-thirds-newline-co-founder-john-piazza-departs-bank/
- Published: 2026-03-24T12:33:28.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-12T00:34:23.000Z
- Description: John Piazza, co-founder and product lead of Fifth Third Bank's embedded payments arm Newline, has left the institution after nearly seven years. His exit highlights ongoing evolution in the bank's payments innovation strategy amid strong business performance.
- Author: TGB Editorial Team
- Tags: Executive Moves, Americas

John Piazza, the co-founder and product lead of Fifth Third Bank's embedded payments platform Newline, has departed the regional powerhouse. Piazza's exit, confirmed via LinkedIn this week, closes what he described as "one of the most rewarding and challenging chapters of my life," leaving the business in the hands of a seasoned leadership team as Fifth Third presses ahead with embedded finance expansion.

#### NEWLINE'S RAPID ASCENT

Piazza joined Fifth Third in May 2019 as part of Newline's founding team, after Fifth Third's $4.7 billion acquisition of MB Financial Bank, where he had held leadership roles. Newline is Fifth Third's embedded payments arm, designed to enable non-bank companies to seamlessly integrate payment processing, card issuance, and deposit products into their platforms. 

Newline's clients include Stripe, Brex, Trustly, and Rippling. In his departure post, Piazza emphasized the unit's robust health, stating the business has "never been stronger." In Fifth Third's fourth-quarter 2025 results, commercial payments revenue rose $10 million, or 6%, from the previous quarter, driven by commercial card and Newline revenue. 

Piazza credited the success to "a tight group of great people working relentlessly toward a focused mission that solves real user pain points," supported by "consistent sponsorship" from Fifth Third's upper echelons. This team includes general manager Tom Bianco and SVP of engineering Christopher Tino, who remain at the helm. They continue to lead Newline with support from Fifth Third CIO Jude Schramm and Chairman, President and CEO Tim Spence.

#### LEADERSHIP SHIFTS CONTINUE

Piazza's departure is not isolated. Dan Dall'Asta, another Newline founding member and former revenue chief, left in June 2025 to join Citrine Venture Partners. A Fifth Third spokesperson declined to comment on Piazza's exit when approached by FinTech Futures.

Piazza previously held leadership roles at the Federal Reserve and MB Financial Bank. He has also stepped down from the boards of Accion Chicago and the Innovative Payments Association. Teasing future plans, Piazza urged his network to "stay tuned for another update next week."

#### EMBEDDED FINANCE OUTLOOK

Fifth Third's fourth-quarter 2025 earnings presentation said year-on-year growth of 8% in commercial payments revenue was aided by strong momentum in Newline and DTS Connex.

#### FIFTH THIRD'S NEXT CHAPTER