Costs, licensing, consumer protection Privacy, self-custody, censorship resistance

Stripe Issuing

Stripe

5.0/5 2.4/5 · Data verified on

Stripe Issuing is Stripe’s API-first platform for issuing virtual and physical cards, with over 275M cards already issued and native push provisioning to Apple and Google Pay. It supports stablecoin funding and is available in 22+ countries. It is a B2B product: cost is per transaction/card plus FX fees (≤2% + $0.30).

75
Transparency: High
75/100 · see methodology
75
Data exposure: High
75/100 · lower is better for sovereignty · methodology

Data & conditions

§ Amounts in USD/GBP are shown in the service's native currency.

Service type Card issuing / BaaS
Pricing model Per transaction
Spread 20 bps
Per-card fee $0.10 virtual · $3.50 physical
Card networks Visa, Mastercard
Card types virtual, physical, debit, credit, prepaid
Settlement time T+1
Fiat rails ACH, SEPA, Wire
Stablecoins USDC
Customer type Fintech, Developers, Platforms
Certifications SOC2-T2, PCI-DSS-L1
SDK Node, Python, Ruby, PHP, Go, Java, .NET
Processed volume $1.4T
Currencies USD, EUR, GBP
Fund custody Self-custody (funds in your control)
KYC Full
Supported countries US, EEA, UK, APAC · 22+ countries
Regulator FCA
Segment B2B
Funding / solidity$159B valuation · clients: Ramp, Brex, Shopify, Klarna
MiCA / License status Global licensing (via partners)

Strengths

  • API-first with native push provisioning to Apple/Google Pay
  • Over 275M cards issued and stablecoin funding
  • Official SDKs for 7 languages
  • Self-custody: funds stay in your wallet — the platform cannot touch them.

Weaknesses

  • B2B service: not accessible to end consumers
  • FX fees up to 2% + $0.30 per transaction
  • $3.50 per physical card ($0.10 virtual)
  • Full KYC required: verified identity, zero pseudonymity.
  • Subject to regulation (Global licensing (via partners)): reporting to authorities and freezes on order.

Verdict

S C ★ 5.0/5 ★ 2.4/5

The full score (tier S) is consistent with the product's maturity: API-first, over 275M cards already issued, native push provisioning to Apple and Google Pay, official SDKs and availability in 22+ countries including Italy. Costs are known and assessable (FX fees up to 2% + $0.30, $3.50 physical card vs $0.10 virtual), which is rare in B2B; the only limit is precisely that it remains a product for companies, not the end user.

Stablecoin funding is a welcome crypto-native nod, but through this lens Stripe Issuing remains a regulated platform with full KYC and partner-intermediated custody: no self-custody, no censorship resistance. The scale and integration, virtues for protection, do not move the judgment here.

Privacy & anonymity 30% 1.3
Fund control 20% 5.0
Censorship resistance 20% 1.5

Promp's editorial rating based on real fees and net annual cost. Promp reviews third-party products independently.

"Sovereignty" rating: score computed on privacy/anonymity (30%), fund control (20%), censorship resistance (20%), trustless/auditability (20%) and costs (10%). Same data, different weights.

FAQ

Does Stripe Issuing support stablecoin funding?

Yes, among its funding options Stripe Issuing supports stablecoins, in addition to traditional fiat rails (ACH, SEPA, Wire).

How much does it cost to issue a card with Stripe Issuing?

Roughly $0.10 for a virtual card and $3.50 for a physical one, plus per-transaction and FX fees.

Sources

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Update history

✓ Terms unchanged since Jul 16, 2026

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