Provider profile · 2026 edition
Marqeta review 2026: scores, pricing and alternatives.
A US card issuing processor with debit, prepaid, credit and tokenised cards and operations certified in 40+ countries.
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A US card issuing processor with debit, prepaid, credit and tokenised cards and operations certified in 40+ countries.
Marqeta scores 3.1 out of 5 (63 out of 100) in the Buckingham Intelligence Card Issuing Index 2026 and ranks 2 of 11. It is strongest for large programmes needing high volumes across many countries, with 5 out of 5 for card range and issuing countries. Not published or not stated on the pages read: pricing, integration, regulatory standing and programme support.
Scores from the Card Issuing Index 2026.
| Segment | Score out of 100 | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| For fintechs and e-money firms | 62 | 2 of 11 |
| For expense and B2B payment platforms | 59 | 2 of 11 |
| For banks and lenders | 67 | 2 of 11 |
The score out of 5 is the overall score out of 100 divided by 20. Leader goes to the top three overall, Best for to the first in each segment, and Top rated for to a score of 5 out of 5 on a criterion. Awards cannot be bought.
Where it scores best, and where to check closely, as shown in each ranking.
Large programmes needing high volumes across many countries.
What Marqeta publishes on its own pages, read on 26 October 2026.
A US card issuing processor with debit, prepaid, credit and tokenised cards and operations certified in 40+ countries. It holds SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001 and gained an e-money institution and BIN sponsor in the UK and EEA through its TransactPay acquisition. It does not publish prices, and does not name its bank partners on the pages read.
| Fact | What the provider publishes |
|---|---|
| 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. |
| Pricing | Not published on the pages read. |
| Issuing countries | "40+ countries certified to operate"; no country list on the pages read. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Date read | 26 October 2026 |
A fact that is not published is scored as not offered or, for a fee, as if it were high. It is never estimated.
Facts read on 26 October 2026 from: marqeta.com/platform/card-issuing, trust.marqeta.com, marqeta.com/blog/…, marqeta.com/uk/demystifying-cards-guide/….
Each score with the evidence behind it.
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
The other providers in the same ranking, ordered by score.
| Provider | Score out of 5 | Rank | Strongest for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe Issuing | 4.3 | 1 of 11 | Platforms wanting published prices and self-serve launch |
| Nium | 3.0 | 3 of 11 | Travel and B2B platforms issuing in Asia Pacific, Europe and the US |
| Enfuce | 3.0 | 4 of 11 | UK and EEA programmes wanting issuing and BIN sponsorship from one firm |
| Lithic | 2.9 | 5 of 11 | Developers wanting a self-serve sandbox and full programme management |
| Paymentology | 2.8 | 6 of 11 | Banks and fintechs in emerging markets across many countries |
| Airwallex | 2.5 | 7 of 11 | Platforms wanting multi-currency cards across many countries |
| Thredd | 2.5 | 8 of 11 | Programmes with their own issuer needing wide country coverage |
| Galileo (SoFi Tech Solutions) | 2.4 | 9 of 11 | North and Latin American programmes wanting a stated launch time |
| Highnote | 2.3 | 10 of 11 | US firms wanting debit, credit, charge and prepaid on one platform |
| Adyen Issuing | 2.2 | 11 of 11 | Platforms already using Adyen for payments in Europe, the UK and US |
Side by side on every criterion, fact and award.
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