Xapo Bank Ltd
Credit institution (full banking) + Visa & Mastercard principal
Confirmed
Weekly Crypto Card Intel — fee changes, new cards, cashback drops. Free.
Most crypto cards don't run on their own bank licence — they rent a regulated bank or e-money institution's BIN. The brand on the front (the program manager) sets the rewards and the app; the licensed sponsor behind it handles compliance, settlement, and the Visa or Mastercard relationship. When that hidden sponsor fails, the card stops working.
This directory maps which issuer backs each of the 141 cards in our dataset, drawn from our BIN-sponsor concentration research. Roughly two dozen cards self-issue on their own licence; roughly two dozen more never disclose their sponsor at all. See the methodology for how we verify.
These entities hold their own licence and self-issue. They are the structural exception to the BIN-sponsor model — no third-party bank sits between the brand and the network.
Credit institution (full banking) + Visa & Mastercard principal
Full banking licence (EEA) + EMI (UK)
Electronic money institution (EMI)
Full banking licence
Full banking licence
EMI + MiCA CASP (first French MiCA CASP)
Mastercard Principal Member direct (since July 2020)
Self-issuance via 4 verified regional licences (FCA / MiCA CASP / AFSL / MAS MPI)
Visa & Mastercard Principal (parent-owned by MultiversX)
The most-used sponsors across the dataset. Concentration is highest inside specific sub-markets (US self-custody, EU/UK self-custody) — the research covers the concentration math.
These cards ship without publicly naming the licensed issuer behind them. We don't guess — non-disclosure is itself a transparency concern, and tightening MiCA and FCA rules through 2026 may force these out into the open. Until then, treat the issuer as unknown.
Sponsor relationships change, and some cards only name a program manager (not the bank behind it). We attribute only what primary sources state, label confidence honestly, and re-verify against the dated research. Spot an error? Report a correction. Last reviewed 2026-06-25.