Lithic Alternatives: 7 Card Issuing Platforms to Consider in 2026

Lithic is a card issuing and processing platform for companies that want to add virtual and physical cards to their products. It provides the APIs and infrastructure for issuing cards, managing transactions, and setting card controls.

Lithic is built around API-first card issuing, but that model will not fit every program. It may not be the right fit if you need different issuing markets, specific card types, more BIN options, White Label, different onboarding requirements, or a broader set of payment tools.

The CardsPro team reviewed the market and selected seven Lithic alternatives for different geographies, use cases, and product requirements.

CardsPro provides infrastructure for companies that want to add virtual or physical cards to an existing app, platform, bot, SaaS service, or fintech product without building the issuing stack from scratch. CardsPro handles card infrastructure, BIN access, antifraud, and risk controls, while the client keeps its own interface and business logic.

The API gives access to 20+ BINs across the US, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Estonia, and other regions, with Visa and Mastercard cards and USD and EUR accounts. Business balances can be funded with USDT at a 1:1 rate, as well as through SWIFT and SEPA. Integration can go live in 14 days if the client's product infrastructure is ready.

CardsPro gives clients access to multiple BINs for different payment scenarios. When issuing a card, the BIN selection tool can suggest suitable options based on what the card will be used for. Companies that do not want to build their own interface can use the White Label product with a ready-made Web App or Telegram interface.

Compared with Lithic, CardsPro puts more emphasis on access to multiple BINs and issuing geographies, crypto funding, and a choice between API integration and a ready-made White Label product.

Best for: fintech, crypto, media buying, SaaS, and B2B products that need multi-BIN card issuing or a White Label launch.

Marqeta provides issuing infrastructure for debit, credit, prepaid, virtual, and physical cards. Its APIs cover card creation and management, funding, transaction data, and spend controls.

One of its core features is Just-in-Time Funding, which allows funding decisions to be made when a transaction occurs. Marqeta also supports dynamic spend controls, tokenization, card fulfillment, authentication, fraud tools, and account infrastructure.

Marqeta is geared more toward large fintech products, digital banks, embedded finance, and high-volume programs across multiple markets. Compared with Lithic, it is generally a more enterprise-focused option, with a heavier implementation and commercial process.

Best for: digital banks and larger fintech companies running high-volume or multi-market card programs.

Stripe Issuing allows companies to create and manage virtual and physical cards through the same Stripe infrastructure they may already use for payments, Connect, Treasury, and other financial products. Cards are issued through the API and can be restricted by merchant category, merchant country, and other spending rules.

Fiat Issuing is available in the US, UK, and Eurozone, while additional markets are at different stages of rollout.

The strongest reason to consider Stripe instead of Lithic is the Stripe ecosystem itself. For a company already using Stripe for payments or platform infrastructure, adding issuing means fewer separate integrations and less fragmentation between payment products.

Best for: companies already using Stripe that want card issuing inside the same payment stack.

Highnote combines card issuing, acquiring, money movement, and ledger infrastructure behind a GraphQL API. It supports debit, credit, prepaid, fleet, virtual, and physical card products, along with spend controls and real-time authorization.

Highnote is particularly strong in commercial payments. For example, travel companies can issue single-use virtual cards for individual bookings, apply merchant-level restrictions, and keep issuing and acquiring activity on the same ledger.

Highnote differs most from Lithic in the breadth of its payment infrastructure. It is designed for companies that want more of the payment flow on one infrastructure, not just card issuing and processing.

Best for: commercial card programs, travel platforms, marketplaces, and companies that need issuing and acquiring on the same infrastructure.

Adyen Issuing is part of Adyen's broader payments infrastructure. It supports virtual and physical Visa and Mastercard cards, real-time authorization, transaction rules, and card- or account-level balances through the Balance Platform API.

Issuing is available in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Companies already using Adyen can connect card issuing with payment acceptance, balances, and money movement inside the same system.

Adyen's main advantage over Lithic is that issuing sits inside the same payments infrastructure. For existing Adyen customers, this keeps card issuing, payment acceptance, balances, and money movement within one platform.

Best for: companies already using Adyen that want to add card issuing to the same payments infrastructure.

Enfuce is a European issuer processor that combines card issuing, processing, licensing, and BIN sponsorship. It is authorised as an Electronic Money Institution in the EEA and the UK and is a principal member of Visa and Mastercard.

It supports debit, credit, prepaid, virtual, and physical cards, with APIs for spend controls, fraud monitoring, multi-currency products, digital wallets, and transaction data.

For European card programs, the main difference from Lithic is the regulatory setup. Enfuce can combine issuing, processing, and BIN sponsorship within its UK and EEA infrastructure.

Best for: card programs focused on the EEA and UK that need local issuing, processing, and regulatory infrastructure.

Galileo provides card issuing, payment processing, account infrastructure, risk tools, and APIs for fintech companies, financial institutions, and embedded finance products. Its APIs cover accounts, cards, authorizations, disputes, risk, and money movement.

The platform supports virtual and physical cards and works with issuing-bank partners across North and Latin America. It also includes core banking infrastructure, so cards can be built around deposit accounts and other financial products.

Galileo goes beyond card issuing and is better suited to companies building full digital banking products rather than card issuing alone.

Best for: digital banks, fintech platforms, and brands building cards together with accounts and other banking products.

— Geographic coverage. Check two things separately: where the provider can issue cards and which BIN countries are available. A card may work internationally even if it is issued from only one or two markets.

— Issuing model. Find out who provides the BIN, who processes transactions, and who manages the card program. Some providers cover all three parts; others require separate partners.

— API and developer control. Compare the exact functions your product uses: card creation, activation, freezing, limits, authorization rules, transaction data, webhooks, and account management. Check whether switching providers would require you to rewrite authorization logic, webhook handling, or card lifecycle flows.

— Virtual and physical cards. Confirm which card types are available in each target country. Physical card production, delivery, Apple Pay and Google Pay support, and some card products may have separate availability rules.

— Spend and authorization controls. Check whether you can set MCC restrictions, country restrictions, transaction and velocity limits, single-use rules, and custom authorization logic. These controls are especially important for advertising, SaaS, travel, and corporate spend.

— Compliance and BIN sponsorship. Clarify who handles KYC/KYB, transaction monitoring, BIN sponsorship, disputes, and card-network compliance. This determines what your company must manage itself.

— Pricing and scalability. Compare setup fees, card issuance, authorizations, processing, funding, FX, physical card production, and monthly or platform fees. If pricing is custom, calculate the cost using your expected number of cards and monthly transaction volume.