Build vs buy: should you partner with a card issuer or build in-house?

Card issuing is no longer the sole domain of traditional banks. With the rise of embedded finance and the increasing demand for digital payment solutions, more businesses—including  fintechs, neobanks, and global corporates—are exploring how to issue cards to users, customers, and employees. 

But as the concept becomes more accessible, the path to execution remains complex. Once the decision is made to offer cards, the next question follows quickly: should you build your own payments infrastructure—or partner with a card issuer to bring your vision to life?

It’s a critical decision, one that impacts your speed to market, long-term costs, compliance risk, and future growth. 

In this article, we’ll walk through what’s involved in building or buying solutions for a card program, breaking down the pros and cons of both approaches.

What is card issuing—and what’s involved in building it?

Card issuing is the process of creating, distributing, and managing payment cards—whether virtual or physical. These cards are typically linked to a balance or account, and can be used to make purchases online or in-store & withdraw cash.

At first glance, card issuing may seem like a matter of branding a card and linking it to a wallet. But in reality, it requires a robust fintech infrastructure behind the scenes:

• BIN sponsorship: To issue cards on a card network like Mastercard or Visa, you need access to a Bank Identification Number (BIN)—which typically requires a direct membership with the network or alternatively collaboration with a BIN sponsor.
  
  
• Compliance and regulation: Card programs must meet strict standards, including PCI DSS for the handling of card data, transaction monitoring, safeguarding requirements, and more.
  
  
• Payment processing and reconciliation: You’ll need to fund cards in real-time, handle authorisation flows, reconcile transactions, and manage refunds and disputes.
  
  
• Risk and fraud management: Issuers are expected to implement fraud prevention tools, monitor suspicious activity, and respond to chargebacks.
  
  
• Card production and delivery: If offering physical cards, companies will need to coordinate manufacturing, personalisation, and distribution—along with ongoing card lifecycle management.
  
  
• Technical integration: Bringing all this together typically requires a modular API, developer tools, and smooth integration into your existing systems.
  
  

In short: Building a card program is not just a product challenge—it’s an operational, regulatory, and technical lift. Which is why many companies start with one crucial question…

Build or buy? Weighing your options

Let’s explore how both routes stack up against key decision factors:

Speed to market

Build:
Constructing a full-stack card issuing platform in-house will usually take 12–24 months, depending on the resources and expertise available. Delays are common due to regulatory hurdles, vendor procurement, and technical unknowns.

Buy:
Partnering with a card issuer or card issuing platform significantly shortens time to market. With the right provider, you could go live in a matter of months—especially if the platform is pre-integrated with card networks, compliance systems, and funding rails.

Total cost of ownership

Build:
Upfront development costs can be substantial: hiring specialised teams, securing regulatory approvals, and integrating third-party services all come with significant costs. In the long-term, companies will also need to consider the investment required for system maintenance, upgrades, audits, and ongoing compliance.

Buy:
A partner model typically involves predictable fees—setup, per-card, and transaction-based pricing. While the pay-as-you-go approach may seem costly on the surface, it often proves more cost-effective when accounting for reduced internal overhead and faster revenue realisation.

Technical complexity

Build:
You’ll need to architect a modular system that can support everything from KYC onboarding to transaction routing, dispute resolution, and fraud prevention. Owning the stack gives you maximum control—but also exposes you to every integration challenge.

Buy:
Card issuers can provide a ready-made infrastructure with APIs, dashboards, and sandbox environments. This reduces your engineering burden, while still allowing for customisation where needed—especially with white-label card programs.

Regulatory and compliance burdens

Build:
Becoming a card issuer yourself means securing appropriate licences, passing regulatory audits, and managing compliance on an ongoing basis. This may not be feasible—or desirable—for many non-financial businesses.

Buy:
Working with a licensed card issuer transfers much of the regulatory burden. A good partner will handle PCI DSS compliance, AML checks, safeguarding of funds, and network certifications, freeing you up to focus on your product and customer experience.

Maintenance and scalability

Build:
You’re responsible for uptime, bug fixes, integrations, fraud mitigation, and compliance updates. Scaling into new markets or use cases adds further complexity and cost.

Buy:
A scalable partner can grow with your needs—supporting multiple use cases, currencies, and geographies. Maintenance and upgrades are handled for you, with SLAs and dedicated support to ensure business continuity.

Flexibility and branding

Build:
Owning your own stack allows complete flexibility—from how the product looks and feels to how it behaves under the hood. If you have unique requirements or want to innovate on card features, this might be important.

Buy:
While some platforms limit customisation, the best modern issuers offer white-label card programs and modular APIs that provide control without complexity. You still own the customer experience—without rebuilding the wheel.

Pros and cons at a glance

Why Edenred Payment Solutions offers the best of both worlds

If you’re leaning toward the “buy” side of the equation but don’t want to compromise on flexibility or control, Edenred Payment Solutions offers a compelling middle ground.

Edenred Payment Solutions provides a modular, enterprise-grade card issuing platform designed for businesses that need to move fast—without cutting corners.

Here’s what sets Edenred Payment Solutions apart:

• Enterprise-grade infrastructure
  Built to handle high volumes of transactions and complex payment flows with ease. Whether you’re issuing virtual cards for expense management or launching physical card programs, Edenred Payment Solutions scales with you.
  
  
• Full regulatory coverage
  As a licensed issuer processor with deep experience in compliance, Edenred Payment Solutions handles everything from PCI DSS to BIN sponsorship and settlement - leaving you to focus on what matters most for your business.
  
  
• White-label friendly
  Edenred Payment Solutions supports fully branded card programs and seamless user experiences, allowing you to maintain full control over your customer touchpoints.
  
  
• Efficient implementation
  Get to market efficiently with pre-integrated solutions, developer-friendly APIs, and support from a team that understands your industry.
  
  
• Future-proof
  As new opportunities become important to your company - for example mobile payments and digital wallets - Edenred Payment Solutions ensures you're ready for what’s next.
  
  

Final thoughts

The decision to build or buy your card issuing infrastructure isn’t just technical—it’s strategic. Building may offer control, but it comes with cost, complexity, and time. Buying, on the other hand, enables faster market entry, reduced compliance risk, and simpler scaling—especially when you partner with the right provider.

With Edenred Payment Solutions, you don’t have to choose between speed and control. You get a powerful, flexible platform built for enterprise-grade card issuing—without the headaches of going it alone.

Build an efficient cardholder experience with a trusted partner

Leverage our tech infrastructure and payment expertise to build a secure, efficient, and compliant experience for your users. Talk to our experts to discover how we can customise the card processing system to suit your needs.