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Nium lets platforms issue local accounts in their customers' names and dedicated virtual accounts in 20+ currencies, under the platform's own brand, with funding over SEPA, Faster Payments, ACH and FAST. It publishes licences by number in 14 jurisdictions and ISO 27001 with SOC 2 Type 2.
Nium is ranked in 5 Buckingham Intelligence indices. Its highest score is 3.8 out of 5 (75 out of 100) in the Virtual Accounts and IBANs Index, where it ranks 3 of 10. It is strongest for payment firms and platforms issuing accounts in their customers' names under their own brand, with 5 out of 5 for currencies and markets, account ownership and local rails and speed. Not published or not stated on the pages read: pricing, regulatory standing and integration.
Also ranked in: Payouts and Mass Payments Index (3.4 out of 5, rank 5 of 11), Cross-border Payments and Remittance Index (3.2 out of 5, rank 5 of 11), Card Issuing Index (3.0 out of 5, rank 3 of 11) and Global Trade Banking Index (1.6 out of 5, rank 26 of 26).
Scores from the Card Issuing Index, Cross-border Payments and Remittance Index, Global Trade Banking Index, Payouts and Mass Payments Index and Virtual Accounts and IBANs Index 2026.
| Segment | Score out of 100 | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| For payment and e-money firms | 81 | 2 of 10 |
| For marketplaces and platforms | 75 | 3 of 10 |
| For businesses collecting from abroad | 69 | 3 of 10 |
| Segment | Score out of 100 | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| For marketplaces and gig platforms | 66 | 5 of 11 |
| For firms paying contractors and creators | 53 | 6 of 11 |
| For payment and fintech firms | 83 | 2 of 11 |
| Segment | Score out of 100 | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| For SMEs and exporters | 56 | 6 of 11 |
| For payment and e-money firms | 70 | 4 of 11 |
| For marketplaces and platforms | 66 | 5 of 11 |
| Segment | Score out of 100 | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| For fintechs and e-money firms | 62 | 3 of 11 |
| For expense and B2B payment platforms | 58 | 3 of 11 |
| For banks and lenders | 63 | 4 of 11 |
No award in the Global Trade Banking Index 2026.
| Segment | Score out of 100 | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| For importers | 31 | 26 of 26 |
| For exporters | 38 | 25 of 26 |
| For wholesalers and distributors | 30 | 26 of 26 |
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.
Payment firms and platforms issuing accounts in their customers' names under their own brand.
Payment and fintech firms needing real-time payouts and licences in many markets.
Payment firms and platforms building payouts through an API.
Travel and B2B platforms issuing in Asia Pacific, Europe and the US.
Platforms and fintechs embedding payouts, not yet small traders.
What Nium publishes on its own pages, read on 21 and 26 October 2026.
Nium lets platforms issue local accounts in their customers' names and dedicated virtual accounts in 20+ currencies, under the platform's own brand, with funding over SEPA, Faster Payments, ACH and FAST. It publishes licences by number in 14 jurisdictions and ISO 27001 with SOC 2 Type 2. It does not publish prices.
| Fact | What the provider publishes |
|---|---|
| Currencies and markets | "Issue accounts under your own brand in 20+ currencies"; "inbound collections in 28 local and global currencies"; hold and convert in 100+ currencies. |
| Account ownership | "Issue a local account in your customer's name"; "Give each customer a dedicated virtual account"; "VANs are issued in your customers' names." |
| Pricing | Not published; "No hidden markups". |
| Local rails and speed | "local rails (SEPA, Faster Payments, ACH, FAST, and others)" plus SWIFT and USDC; "Most local rail funding settles same-day or in real time." |
| Regulatory standing | NIUM Pte. Ltd. MAS Major Payment Institution PS20200276; Nium Fintech Limited FCA e-money institution 901024; UAB Nium EU Bank of Lithuania licence No. 14; Nium, Inc. NMLS ID 1528562. Security badges: ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2 Type 2. |
| Integration | Single API with webhooks; documentation at docs.nium.com; white-label, "Nium stays invisible" to end users. |
| 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: nium.com/products/multi-currency-accounts, nium.com/regulatory-disclosures, nium.com/products/global-payouts.
Nium sends payouts to bank accounts, cards and wallets in 190+ countries and 100+ currencies, with 100+ real-time routes. It publishes licences by number in 14 jurisdictions and ISO 27001 with SOC 2 Type 2. It does not publish prices, and beyond account checks it does not describe recipient onboarding or tax forms.
| Fact | What the provider publishes |
|---|---|
| Global reach | "Reach 190+ countries in fiat or stablecoin"; payouts "in 100+ local currencies". |
| Pricing | Not published; "Rates and fees are surfaced at the time of the transaction." |
| Payout methods and speed | "Deliver to bank accounts, cards, or wallets, in fiat or stablecoin"; "100+ real-time corridors"; real-time markets "can settle same-day". |
| Integration | "Go live in days via API, SDK, or web portal"; "Validate beneficiary accounts instantly across 50+ countries". |
| Regulatory standing | NIUM Pte. Ltd. MAS Major Payment Institution PS20200276; Nium Fintech Limited FCA e-money institution 901024; UAB Nium EU Bank of Lithuania e-money licence No. 14; Nium, Inc. NMLS ID 1528562 with money transfer licences in 36 states; licences also listed for Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan and others. |
| Security | Badges for PCI DSS, ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2 Type 2 and SOC 1 Type 2. |
| 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: nium.com/products/global-payouts, nium.com/regulatory-disclosures.
A payments infrastructure provider that firms connect to through an API to pay out, collect and convert money. It publishes wide reach, a sandbox and a detailed licence list with numbers across many regions. It does not publish prices or delivery times beyond "real-time" statements.
| Fact | What the provider publishes |
|---|---|
| Payment reach | "Send funds to 190+ countries in local currencies and methods"; "Real-time conversion across 2,000+ currency pairs and 125+ currencies". |
| Pricing | Not published on the pages read. |
| Payment speed | "Add real-time global settlement without rebuilding your core infrastructure." No delivery times or shares published. |
| Collection accounts | "Hold, convert, and collect in 100+ currencies from one account." No count of local account details published. |
| Integration | API documentation; "Sign up for the Nium Web Portal" and "start building with Nium Sandbox today"; beneficiary account validation "across 50+ countries". |
| Regulatory standing | Licence page: Nium Fintech Limited, FCA reference 901024, and Nium Payments UK Limited, FCA 900800; UAB Nium EU, Bank of Lithuania EMI licence no. 14; NIUM Pte. Ltd., MAS Major Payment Institution PS20200276; ASIC AFSL 464627; HK MSO 16-01-01797; Kanto Local Finance Bureau licence 00073; FINTRAC M15669293. |
| 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: nium.com, nium.com/global-coverage, nium.com/licenses.
A Singapore-headquartered payments firm issuing virtual and physical cards in 30+ markets without a separate BIN sponsor, under licences it lists by jurisdiction with numbers. It publishes the fullest integration terms in this edition, including self-serve sandbox access and a time to production. It does not publish card prices.
| Fact | What the provider publishes |
|---|---|
| Card range | 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. |
| Issuing countries | "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 | 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 | 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 | 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 |
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: nium.com/products/issue-cards, nium.com/developers, nium.com/licenses, nium.com/newsroom/nium-us-card-issuance.
Nium is licensed in the UK, the EU, Singapore, Brazil, Hong Kong, Australia, Canada and Japan and operates in 36 US states through sponsor banks. It collects locally in 28 currencies and holds more than 100, and offers USDC funding and payouts. Its small business account is waitlist only and its fees and FX margin are not published.
| Fact | What the provider publishes |
|---|---|
| Account fee | Not published |
| FX margin | Not published |
| Receiving | Local collection in 28 currencies, holding in 100+ |
| Paying suppliers | Fees not published |
| Stablecoins | USDC funding and payouts, not in Hong Kong |
| Finance | None |
| Onboarding | Small business account on a waitlist |
| Protection | Safeguarded by entity; US custodial accounts |
| Date read | 21 October 2026 |
Who can open an account, by country of registration
| Country | Published position |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Waitlist |
| United States | Waitlist |
| Mexico | Not published |
| Brazil | Not published |
| Colombia | Not published |
| Hong Kong | Not published |
| China | Not published |
| Türkiye | Not published |
| UAE | Not published |
| Nigeria | Not published |
| Pakistan | Not published |
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 21 October 2026 from: nium.com, nium.com/licenses, nium.com/products/multi-currency-accounts, nium.com/products/stablecoin-payouts, nium.com/industries/nium-for-smb, nium.com/atlas.
Each score with the evidence behind it.
Each criterion is scored 0 to 5 against the best published offer in the Virtual Accounts and IBANs Index. 0 means not offered or not published. How it is scored
Each criterion is scored 0 to 5 against the best published offer in the Payouts and Mass Payments Index. 0 means not offered or not published. How it is scored
Each criterion is scored 0 to 5 against the best published offer in the Cross-border Payments and Remittance Index. 0 means not offered or not published. How it is scored
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
Each criterion is scored 0 to 5 against the best published offer in the Global Trade Banking 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airwallex | 4.3 | 1 of 10 | Platforms and businesses needing local receiving details in many currencies at published prices |
| Wise Business | 4.0 | 2 of 10 | Small and mid-sized businesses collecting from customers abroad |
| ClearBank | 3.3 | 4 of 10 | UK payment and e-money firms needing safeguarding and virtual accounts at a bank |
| Swan | 2.8 | 5 of 10 | European platforms issuing euro accounts with local IBANs to their customers |
| Griffin | 2.8 | 6 of 10 | UK payment, e-money and investment firms needing safeguarding or client money accounts |
| Weavr | 2.6 | 7 of 10 | UK and EU business software giving each client account an IBAN at a fixed monthly price |
| Payoneer | 2.6 | 8 of 10 | Sellers and freelancers collecting from marketplaces and overseas clients |
| Column | 2.5 | 9 of 10 | US fintechs needing FBO accounts and account numbers at a chartered bank |
| Increase | 2.4 | 10 of 10 | US platforms creating many account numbers for reconciliation |
Full Virtual Accounts and IBANs Index ranking
| Provider | Score out of 5 | Rank | Strongest for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trolley | 4.5 | 1 of 11 | Platforms paying creators and sellers that want a full published price list |
| Stripe Connect and Global Payouts | 4.2 | 2 of 11 | Platforms already taking payments on Stripe that want onboarding, tax forms and payouts in one place |
| Tipalti | 3.8 | 3 of 11 | Firms paying many contractors or creators across borders with full tax form handling |
| Payoneer | 3.5 | 4 of 11 | Marketplaces paying sellers abroad into accounts, bank accounts or wallets |
| Airwallex | 3.0 | 6 of 11 | Platforms wanting a published fee schedule and licences across Asia, Europe and the US |
| PayPal Payouts | 2.8 | 7 of 11 | Businesses paying recipients who already use PayPal or Venmo |
| Routable | 2.8 | 8 of 11 | US firms paying many vendors and contractors from their accounting system |
| Rapyd Disburse | 2.8 | 9 of 11 | Firms paying recipients by card, wallet or cash as well as bank transfer |
| Wise Business | 2.6 | 10 of 11 | Smaller firms paying overseas suppliers and freelancers into bank accounts |
| dLocal | 2.3 | 11 of 11 | Platforms paying recipients in Latin America, Africa and Asia |
Full Payouts and Mass Payments Index ranking
| Provider | Score out of 5 | Rank | Strongest for |
|---|---|---|---|
| WorldFirst | 4.7 | 1 of 11 | Exporters and online sellers paying suppliers in Asia, especially China |
| Airwallex | 4.7 | 2 of 11 | Businesses and platforms wanting exact FX margins, wide reach and many licences |
| Wise Business | 4.2 | 3 of 11 | Small businesses wanting fast payments and a full public API |
| Payoneer | 3.5 | 4 of 11 | Online sellers and service firms collecting from marketplaces and clients abroad |
| Currenxie | 3.1 | 6 of 11 | Asia-facing businesses wanting a fully priced account |
| OFX | 2.7 | 7 of 11 | Small businesses wanting a published fee schedule and Xero connection |
| Ebury | 2.5 | 8 of 11 | Mid-sized importers and exporters wanting payments with currency hedging |
| Convera | 2.4 | 9 of 11 | Larger businesses, universities and credit unions paying in exotic currencies |
| Thunes | 1.9 | 10 of 11 | Banks, remittance firms and wallets paying out to mobile wallets and accounts |
| Corpay Cross-Border | 1.6 | 11 of 11 | Mid-sized and large firms paying in many countries with hedging support |
Full Cross-border Payments and Remittance Index ranking
| Provider | Score out of 5 | Rank | Strongest for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe Issuing | 4.3 | 1 of 11 | Platforms wanting published prices and self-serve launch |
| Marqeta | 3.1 | 2 of 11 | Large programmes needing high volumes across many countries |
| 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 |
Full Card Issuing Index ranking
| Provider | Score out of 5 | Rank | Strongest for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wise Business | 3.8 | 1 of 26 | Transparent FX and receiving in 22 currencies |
| WorldFirst | 3.5 | 2 of 26 | Importers paying Asian suppliers, no account fees |
| Airwallex | 3.5 | 3 of 26 | Free local supplier payments to 120+ countries |
| Statrys | 3.1 | 4 of 26 | Hong Kong, Singapore and BVI companies trading with Asia |
| XTransfer | 3.1 | 5 of 26 | Trade with China and emerging-market collection |
| Aspire | 3.0 | 6 of 26 | Singapore, Hong Kong and US-nexus companies trading in Asia |
| Currenxie | 3.0 | 7 of 26 | Asian and Mexican traders collecting in nine currencies |
| Payoneer | 3.0 | 8 of 26 | Marketplace sellers and exporters in 190+ countries |
| Mercury | 2.8 | 9 of 26 | US-registered companies with founders abroad |
| Ebury | 2.8 | 10 of 26 | Mid-size traders needing supplier finance with their FX |
| Verto | 2.7 | 11 of 26 | African exporters collecting in NGN, KES and ZAR |
| 3S Money | 2.7 | 12 of 26 | Non-resident companies from 190+ countries wanting UK and EU IBANs |
| Slash | 2.5 | 13 of 26 | Non-US wholesalers spending in dollars and receiving USDT |
| Revolut Business | 2.5 | 14 of 26 | UK, EEA and US companies wanting cards and FX allowances |
| Shield | 2.5 | 15 of 26 | Wholesalers in Latin America paid in USDT |
| OFX | 2.4 | 16 of 26 | FX-heavy traders wanting a dealer on the phone |
| Tazapay | 2.4 | 17 of 26 | Exporters collecting from buyers in 85+ markets |
| Wio Bank | 2.4 | 18 of 26 | UAE trade licence holders wanting a bank with lending |
| HSBC UK | 2.3 | 19 of 26 | UK traders needing letters of credit and trade finance |
| iBanFirst | 2.0 | 20 of 26 | EEA and UK companies exchanging €200,000 or more a year |
| Conduit | 1.9 | 21 of 26 | Companies in 100+ countries settling trade in stablecoins |
| Bitso Business | 1.8 | 22 of 26 | Latin American traders settling on Pix, SPEI and ACH |
| Flutterwave | 1.7 | 23 of 26 | African exporters receiving USD, GBP, EUR and AED |
| Equals Money | 1.7 | 24 of 26 | UK businesses wanting cards and 40 currencies in one account |
| Moneycorp | 1.7 | 25 of 26 | UK and Irish traders wanting dealer-led FX |
Side by side on every criterion, fact and award.
Tell us what you need and where you operate.