P Pico
New York · New Jersey · Connecticut

The neighborhood payment network

Customers pay less. Stores earn more. Pico lets you load money from your own bank account and pay at your corner store by scanning a QR code — no card, no fees, no app to download.

How it works

Load once. Then every purchase is scan, beep, done.

1

Load your balance

From your own bank account, in your browser — at home, on the bus, wherever. The week’s grocery money in about thirty seconds.

2

Scan and pay

Scan the QR code on the counter. Confirm with Face ID or your fingerprint. The payment clears instantly — it’s a ledger move, not a card swipe.

3

Reload in one tap

We’ll let you know when your balance is running low. Reload in seconds — your balance, your history, and your rewards all in one place.

Built for both sides of the counter

Independent stores pay some of the highest card processing costs in retail. Pico is a way out that costs the store nothing to try.

For customers

  • No app download — Pico runs in your phone’s browser
  • No card, no credit check, no monthly fee
  • Load only from your own bank account
  • Confirm every payment with your fingerprint or face
  • A nudge when your balance runs low, and a one-tap reload
  • Spend at any store in the Pico network

For store owners

  • No hardware — a QR sticker and the phone you already own
  • No monthly fee and no setup cost
  • No chargebacks: customers spend money already loaded and cleared
  • Onboarding takes just a few minutes

Built to get smarter

Pico is built on an intelligent core, not bolted onto one later.

Every payment runs through a decision layer designed from day one to learn — risk and fraud checks that adapt as the network grows, so good customers move faster and bad actors don’t. The more a neighborhood uses Pico, the sharper it gets at telling the difference.

That same foundation is what lets us add the things a payment network should have done all along: rewards that actually reflect how you shop, and offers that come from the store down the block rather than a marketing department.

Trust and safety

Pico is deliberately narrow. It does one thing, and the limits are what make it safe.

We never see your bank password

Bank connections are handled by our payments provider through your bank’s own secure login. Your credentials are never shared with Pico.

We never hold your money

Pico is software. Funds are processed and held by our regulated payments partner, never by Pico itself.

Closed loop, by design

Balances can be funded only from your own bank account and spent only at Pico network stores. No cash-out, no person-to-person transfers.

Capped balances

Wallet balances are capped. Pico is for everyday neighborhood spending, and it is built to stay that way.

Every payment is authorized by you

Payments are confirmed on your device with your fingerprint or face. Nothing moves without that confirmation.

Your data is not for sale

We do not sell personal information and we do not use it for advertising. See our Privacy Policy.

Text messages from Pico

Pico sends a small number of text messages, and only to people who ask for them.

When you sign up, you enter your mobile number and consent to receive account text messages from Pico. We use SMS for one-time sign-in codes, confirmations when a load clears, payment receipts, and optional low-balance reminders. We never send marketing texts and we never share your number with third parties for their own marketing.

Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to any message to opt out, or HELP for assistance. Full details are in our Messaging Terms.

Get in touch

Pico is built and operated by Owena Labs Inc. We’re building the network store by store across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

Store owners who want to join, and customers with questions, can reach us directly.

Get in touch