Paynetics
Bulgarian e-money institution and Visa and Mastercard principal member selling BIN sponsorship, issuing, acquiring and accounts on its own technology
Quick Overview
| Company | Paynetics AD |
|---|---|
| Category | Card Issuing Platforms |
| Headquarters | Sofia, Bulgaria |
| Founded | Not stated |
| EU Presence | Yes - Bulgaria (EU), plus UK |
| Data Location | Not specified on the vendor pages checked |
| Open Source | No |
| GDPR Compliant | Yes |
| Self-Hosting | No |
| Main Features | BIN sponsorship, prepaid, debit, credit and business cards, virtual and tokenised cards, card acquiring, payment accounts, open banking, onboarding, AML and fraud monitoring |
| Pricing | Pricing on request |
| Best For | Fintechs, program managers and PSPs that want a sponsor instead of their own licence |
| Replaces | Marqeta, Stripe Issuing, Lithic |
Detailed Review
Paynetics AD (company number 131574695) is licensed by the Bulgarian National Bank and passported across the EU. A UK subsidiary, Paynetics UK Ltd, holds an FCA e-money licence for the UK.
Weavr, listed on this page, appears in its client list as a company using Paynetics issuing, and Weavr's own site confirms Paynetics issues the EU Mastercard cards.
Sponsorship in plain terms
The BIN sponsorship page explains that a scheme-assigned BIN lets a company run its own wallet or card programme without direct scheme membership or an e-money licence. Paynetics states it is principal member of both Mastercard and Visa.
Onboarding, compliance and settlement services are listed as add-ons.
Range of programme types
Paynetics lists gift cards, FX cards, single-use virtual cards, payroll incentives, government disbursement, gaming payouts and cards for minors as cases it supports. Plastic, virtual, digitised, prepaid, debit, credit and business cards are all named.
Modular settings cover limits, hierarchies and pricing levels per product.
Issuing and acquiring together
Beyond issuing, Paynetics offers card acquiring and an acquiring suite, so a programme that also needs merchant services can stay with one licensed entity.
Open banking products and white-label apps appear in the same navigation.
Limitations to Consider
Paynetics publishes no prices and the website is mainly marketing copy, with limited technical detail outside its API documentation. A banner on the site warns about misuse of its name by an unrelated fast-loan offer, so confirm you are dealing with the right domain. Weavr shows what a packaged product on top of Paynetics looks like.
Who Should Use Paynetics
Fintechs and program managers in the EU and UK that want a Bulgarian-licensed sponsor and a wide set of card types.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- BNB licence passported across the EU
- Visa and Mastercard principal member
- Wide range of card types and use cases
- Acquiring in the same company
- Separate UK entity with FCA licence
Cons
- No published pricing
- Marketing-heavy product pages
- Name misuse warning on homepage
- Less developer content visible
Alternatives to Paynetics
Other European card issuing platforms worth comparing before you decide:
Wallester
Estonia · Estonian Visa principal member with white-label IBAN and card issuing
Swan
France · Paris e-money institution embedding accounts and cards via API
Treezor
France · French e-money institution selling cards as a modular service
Enfuce
Finland · Helsinki issuer processor running card programmes per tenant
See all European card issuing platforms or compare them directly against Marqeta on our alternatives page.
Frequently Asked Questions
It lets a company run cards or wallets under a scheme-assigned BIN held by Paynetics, without direct scheme membership or its own e-money licence.
Paynetics AD is licensed by the Bulgarian National Bank and passported across the EU, and Paynetics UK Ltd is licensed by the FCA.
Credit is named among the card types, but the page gives no further detail, so confirm availability per market.