Comparison · 2026 edition
Marqeta vs Nium: card issuing compared 2026.
Marqeta and Nium side by side in the Card Issuing Index 2026: scores, evidence, published facts and awards.
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Marqeta and Nium side by side in the Card Issuing Index 2026: scores, evidence, published facts and awards.
In the Card Issuing Index, Marqeta scores higher overall: 3.1 out of 5 (63 out of 100) against 3.0 (61), ranking 2 and 3 of 11. Marqeta scores higher for expense and B2B payment platforms and banks and lenders; they tie for fintechs and e-money firms.
Overall and segment scores out of 100, and the score out of 5.
| Score | Marqeta | Nium |
|---|---|---|
| Score out of 5 | 3.1 | 3.0 |
| Score out of 100 | 63 | 61 |
| Overall rank | 2 of 11 | 3 of 11 |
| For fintechs and e-money firms (out of 100) | 62, rank 2 | 62, rank 3 |
| For expense and B2B payment platforms (out of 100) | 59, rank 2 | 58, rank 3 |
| For banks and lenders (out of 100) | 67, rank 2 | 63, rank 4 |
| Type | Card issuing processor | Card issuing platform |
Each score with the evidence behind it.
| Criterion | Marqeta | Nium |
|---|---|---|
| Card range | 5/5 Virtual, physical, tokenised, debit, prepaid and credit cards published. | 3/5 Virtual, physical, prepaid and tokenised cards published; debit and credit not specified. |
| Published pricing | 0/5 Not published on the pages read. | 0/5 Not published on the pages read. |
| Issuing countries | 5/5 40+ countries published; no country list. | 3/5 30+ markets published. |
| Integration | 3/5 API and private sandbox; no self-serve sign-up or launch time published. | 5/5 API, sandbox, self-serve sign-up and a stated time to production. |
| Regulatory standing | 3/5 SOC 2 Type 2 published; PCI DSS without level and an e-money licence without a named regulator count as half. | 4/5 Own licences with numbers and SOC 2 Type 2; PCI DSS without level counts as half. |
| Programme support | 2/5 Programme management and UK and EU BIN sponsorship published; KYC, fraud and dispute services not described on the pages read. | 3/5 Own issuing, programme management and fraud protections published; KYC and dispute services not described on the pages read. |
Each criterion is scored 0 to 5 against the best published offer in the Card Issuing Index. 0 means not offered or not published. How it is scored
What each provider publishes on its own pages, read on 26 October 2026.
| Fact | Marqeta | Nium |
|---|---|---|
| Card range | "Physical, virtual, and tokenized cards"; prepaid and debit programmes, and credit programmes for consumers and businesses; flexible credentials let one card work as debit, credit or buy now pay later. | Physical, virtual and digital cards; prepaid, embedded and white-label programmes; tokenisation and 3DS; Visa, Mastercard and Discover. Debit and credit not specified. |
| Pricing | Not published on the pages read. | Not published on the pages read. |
| Issuing countries | "40+ countries certified to operate"; no country list on the pages read. | "Operate custom card programs in 30+ markets with no BIN sponsor"; country tables for Australia, the EEA, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK and the USA. |
| Integration | Open APIs with 370+ endpoints, real-time webhooks and a private sandbox for testing and simulating transactions; no self-serve sign-up or launch time published. | Self-serve Nium Web Portal sign-up and sandbox; SDKs for Node, Python, Go and Java; "Most teams reach production in under two weeks." |
| Regulatory standing | Trust Center lists ISO/IEC 27001, PCI DSS (level not stated), PCI 3DS, SOC 1 Type 2 and SOC 2 Type 2. States it is not a bank; bank partners not named. TransactPay, now acquired, is described as an "E-Money Institution and BIN Sponsor" in the UK and EEA; regulator not named. | Licences page lists FCA e-money and payment authorisations (refs 901024, 900800, 721549), a Bank of Lithuania EMI licence (No. 14), MAS Major Payment Institution PS20200276 and US money transmitter licences (NMLS 1528562). Badges for PCI DSS (level not stated), SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO/IEC 27001. |
| Programme support | Programme management support "from planning through execution"; UK and EU card programme management through TransactPay. Platform figures: $400B+ processed in the four quarters to 30 June 2026 and 99.99% uptime in 2025. Named clients include Klarna and Affirm. | Issues without a separate BIN sponsor; card programme management API; tokenisation and 3DS protections. Named clients include Aspire, AXA Bank and Amadeus. |
| Date read | 26 October 2026 | 26 October 2026 |
Not published or not stated by Marqeta: pricing, integration, regulatory standing and programme support.
Not published or not stated by Nium: pricing, regulatory standing and programme support.
Facts read on 26 October 2026 from: marqeta.com/platform/card-issuing, trust.marqeta.com, marqeta.com/blog/…, marqeta.com/uk/demystifying-cards-guide/…; and nium.com/products/issue-cards, nium.com/developers, nium.com/licenses, nium.com/newsroom/nium-us-card-issuance.
Awards follow from the published scores and cannot be bought.
From each provider's strongest criteria and published terms.
Large programmes needing high volumes across many countries.
Travel and B2B platforms issuing in Asia Pacific, Europe and the US.
Tell us what you need and where you operate.