Cash management: liquidity structure around the card

How this layer fits

Cash management is how operating money is partitioned: working capital, tax, payroll, and optional yield. The card programme spends from this structure; it does not replace it.

A simple structure that survives growth

Keep operating cash, payroll reserve and tax reserve visible as separate buckets even if they sit in one platform. Founders who treat “the Brex balance” as one number discover the problem in the week payroll and a card settlement land together.

Concentration risk

Ask how fast you can move operating cash elsewhere, whether a second banking relationship already exists, and how data is exported if the relationship ends. Cards are easy to replace compared with payroll rails.

Relationship to runway

If card limits are cash-linked, a falling balance can cut purchasing power at the same moment burn is rising. Plan that interaction on the runway page.

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

Sources and further reading

Every factual statement on this page is checked against primary documentation. Terms change frequently, so confirm details with the provider before acting on them.

1. Brex — official websitePrimary source for current product names, availability and terms.
2. Brex Support CenterOfficial help documentation, including account access and card administration topics.
3. Visa — commercial payment solutionsNetwork-level background on commercial card products and data levels.
4. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — credit card resourcesBackground on card terminology, billing cycles and consumer-vs-commercial distinctions.
5. FDIC — deposit insurance and pass-through coverageReference for how deposit insurance applies, including through third-party arrangements.