The Definitive Credit-Cards-as-a-Service Market Analysis

I am excited to announce that the Totavi team has published the first in what we expect to be a series of in-depth, comprehensive market analyses in the world of cards. Our first market report covers the emerging Credit-Cards-as-a-Service (CCaaS) market with information on leading providers and insight into how to save time and money and prepare to build your credit card program.

The report is 16 detailed pages with more than 13 charts. You know from reading CardsFTW that the team and I eat, sleep, and breathe cards. You can purchase the report today on our website. As a subscriber of CardsFTW, you can use code “cardsftw” for a $200 discount. Paid subscribers, check your email for a code for a more significant discount (an excellent reason to go paid!)

The comprehensive paid report provides detailed market insights to inform decisions for banks, credit unions, startups, and established companies choosing a service provider in this burgeoning industry. Through the significant amount of data and updated frameworks provided in the report, businesses will be empowered to make better decisions and allocate resources more efficiently. Companies will now be able to save months with direct access to information that would typically require multiple meetings, demos, or RFIs to acquire.

CardCon

We’re just arriving in Nashville for this year’s CardCon Expo. We’re excited to meet everyone and see some awesome panels. Ellen Perl will be moderating a panel on Thursday, November 9th, featuring companies that build asset-backed secured credit card products, including Pesto*, Yendo, Vie, and Mastercard. Check in next week for our debrief.

RIP, Mint

Intuit is shutting down Mint, the 17-year-old personal finance and budgeting web application. When Mint launched, it was revelatory and launched many fintech ideas down the road. I remember being an early user, and it inspired many concepts. Later, I used Mint as a foil to my pitch for Wallaby, stating that “people don’t like to budget, and skipping the latte doesn’t make you rich” (but that Wallaby would optimize your rewards and earn you 3x points on that latte with no effort).

Intuit is pushing folks to Credit Karma, which isn’t exactly a budgeting app, so that’s confusing. Intuit continues its reputation as a place where acquired companies go to die.

If you’re wondering where to move your data, I recommend Copilot or Monarch. Both are doing great work here, integrating well with credit card data and more.

Neon Money Club

I am frequently asked if it’s possible to launch consumer credit cards in the current environment. My answer is yes, and another announcement this week demonstrates this, with Neon Money Club’s new card issued by Evolve Bank & Trust on the American Express Network.

The Neon Money Club Cream American Express Card (long name!) has an annual membership fee of $128 and earns 1.5 points per dollar spent (assuming these points are worth $0.01 each). The card also promises double the points value when you invest those rewards, which is a good deal if you can invest broadly.

From a design standpoint, this is the most Apple Card-esque design I’ve seen yet, with an etched white card, no card embossing, and a metal core. People love their fancy cards. I’m unfamiliar with Neon Money Club, but I'm excited to see where this goes.

BaaS Card Provider Unit’s New White Label App

Building a card product is hard. Traditionally, most banking-as-a-service providers have focused on services delivered over API, requiring their customers to develop user interfaces. Unit announced a full mobile SDK last week, enabling customers to embed banking and lending experiences with minimal engineering effort. As BaaS providers consolidate and core features become more available, I expect additive capabilities like this one to become more critical from a competitive standpoint.

CardsFTW

CardsFTW is a weekly newsletter, released most Wednesdays, that offers insights and analysis on new products in the credit and debit card industry for both consumers and providers. CardsFTW is authored and published by Matthew Goldman and Ellen Perl of Totavi, LLC. Totavi is a boutique consulting firm specializing in fintech. We bring real operational experience that varies from the earliest days of a startup to high-growth phases and public company leadership. Visit www.totavi.com to learn more.

*Indicates a company where Totavi, LLC has a business relationship.