apayIssuing and wallet cards
If the product needs to give users a card that works immediately and appears in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, this is the track. It is card issuing, not acquiring, and it needs an issuing processor plus a BIN sponsor bank.
What “a card that works immediately on the phone” involves
- BIN sponsor bank: a licensed issuer that owns the BIN and holds the funds (prepaid or debit).
- Issuing processor: runs the card ledger, authorises transactions in real time, and talks to Visa/Mastercard. Examples: Thredd, Paymentology, Marqeta, i2c, Airwallex Issuing, Nium.
- Programme manager: the company that owns the product, KYC, funding and customer support. In this model that is apay’s client (the platform) or apay itself under the bank’s programme.
- Tokenisation and push provisioning: the processor must be certified with Apple Pay and Google Pay for in-app provisioning; the programme must be approved by Apple and Google per BIN and per app.
Timeline with an experienced processor and a willing bank: 3 to 6 months to a live programme. No software alone replaces this; the ledger and card management can be apay’s, the network-facing pieces cannot.
User flow
- User completes KYC in the platform app.
- Platform calls apay to create a cardholder and a virtual card; the processor returns the card instantly.
- The app calls add to Apple Wallet / Google Wallet; the processor’s in-app provisioning SDK pushes the card. The card is usable in seconds.
- User funds the card (bank transfer to a virtual account, card top-up, payroll) and spends online or in-store.
- Authorisations are approved in real time against the balance; the platform receives webhooks and can apply controls (merchant categories, limits, single-use).
Partners to approach
| Partner | Role | Markets | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netbank + Thredd | Sponsor bank + processor | PH | Cards-as-a-service announced Dec 2025; one contract for both |
| Paymentology | Processor with sponsor bank network | SEA, MENA, Africa | Fast to pilot, works with many banks |
| Airwallex | Sponsor + processor in one | SG, HK, AU, EU | Also acquiring; simplest single-vendor route |
| Marqeta | Processor | US, EU, AU, SG | Excellent sandbox for building the product before a bank is signed |
| Nium | Sponsor + processor | SG, global | Cards plus payouts |
| Wio / Zand | Sponsor bank | UAE | Cards through their processors |
What apay adds
- Cardholder and card APIs in the same dashboard and API family as payments
- Ledger and controls: balances, limits, MCC rules, single-use cards
- Funding through apay virtual accounts and card top-ups
- Webhooks for authorisations, clearing and declines
- Compliance pack for the sponsor bank
Recommended sequence
- Prototype the user experience with the Marqeta or Lithic sandbox (free, same day) to validate product flows, including simulated push provisioning.
- Sign the sponsor bank plus processor for the first market (Philippines with Netbank/Thredd or Singapore/Hong Kong with Airwallex are the fastest).
- Apple and Google programme approval, in-app provisioning certification.
- Pilot with employees, then users.
Questions: dev@apay.to · Back to docs