Imprint
Imprint Payments, Inc. is a US fintech that designs, configures, and operates co-branded credit cards (and expanding deposit accounts and installment loans) for enterprise consumer brands, powered by its proprietary Imprint Core full-stack platform and issued via partner banks.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Imprint does
Imprint Payments, Inc. is a US-incorporated, Irish-founded fintech founded in 2020 that builds, configures, and operates co-branded financial products — primarily credit cards, with planned expansion into deposit accounts and installment loans — for large consumer brands. The company sells bespoke co-branded card programs to enterprise customers such as Shell, Booking.com, Rakuten, H-E-B, Turkish Airlines, Brooks Brothers, Fetch, Westgate Resorts, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Crate & Barrel, CB2, Eddie Bauer, and Fanatics; it then operates the full program lifecycle (underwriting, processing, rewards, servicing, marketing) on behalf of the brand partner under the partner bank's issuer license (First Electronic Bank or First Bank & Trust) across Visa, Mastercard, and American Express networks. Imprint reports 100+ brand clients over the platform's lifetime and over $2 billion in annual loans processed across its programs.
Imprint's core technology is Imprint Core, a proprietary full-stack platform built from scratch around an immutable ledger and microservices architecture, organized into four functional layers: Predict (customizable credit underwriting with soft-pull pre-approval and 1-second application decisions), Insights (real-time cardholder data, dashboards, and behavioral segmentation), Marketing (ML-driven personalized offers and automated audience segmentation), and Rewards (SKU-level, real-time-adjustable rewards with multi-currency and loyalty-platform integration). Cardholder application and servicing experiences are embeddable within partner brands' apps and websites via SDK or API, with integration into Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay, and the company holds SOC 2 Type 2 and PCI DSS certifications and is a member of the PCI Standards Council.
Imprint's revenue model is transaction- and balance-sheet-based: it earns interchange on the co-branded credit cards operating on its platform and lending economics on the credit balances it funds and services, supported by approximately $1 billion in total lending capacity assembled from credit facilities with Mizuho, Truist, HSBC, Citibank, SVB, and Atalaya, plus a $300 million securitization rated AAA by Fitch. Equity backers include Khosla Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, Thrive Capital, and Ribbit Capital; cumulative equity raised exceeds $200 million and the company reached a $1.2 billion valuation at its December 2025 Series D, achieving unicorn status.
Imprint firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Imprint
- Legal name
- Imprint Payments, Inc.
- Website
- https://imprint.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Imprint Payments, Inc. is a US fintech that designs, configures, and operates co-branded credit cards (and expanding deposit accounts and installment loans) for enterprise consumer brands, powered by its proprietary Imprint Core full-stack platform and issued via partner banks.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Imprint industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Co-branded Financial Services Platform
- akta.pro primary industry
- Processor-Agnostic / White-Label Acquiring Platforms (Acquiring-as-a-Service) (FSAMABAI)
Keywords
Where Imprint is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Imprint business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Co-branded credit card program revenue: Imprint earns revenue from co-branded credit card programs operated on its Imprint Core platform. Revenue is generated through transaction-based economics (interchange) and lending economics on the credit balances it underwrites and funds, with credit facilities (e.g., $500M+ from Mizuho/Truist/HSBC, Citibank, SVB/Atalaya) supporting its lending capacity. Imprint is not a bank; cards are issued by partner banks (First Electronic Bank, First Bank & Trust) and operate on Visa, Mastercard, and American Express networks.
- Co-branded deposit accounts and installment loans: Beyond credit cards, Imprint's product suite includes co-branded deposit accounts with debit cards and installment-plan financing. These products are not yet at scale but the company has stated plans to expand into debit, secured cards, and broader financial products.
- Securitization and balance sheet financing economics: Imprint issued its first $300 million securitization (rated AAA by Fitch) and operates multiple credit facilities, indicating capital markets and balance sheet financing activities support its lending revenue model.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature Credit Card (no annual fee) |
| Other | — | B2B enterprise program pricing — not publicly disclosed |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Imprint product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Imprint designs, builds, and operates bespoke co-branded financial products — primarily credit cards, plus deposit accounts and installment loans — for enterprise consumer brands. The company runs the full program lifecycle (underwriting, processing, ledgering, rewards, marketing, servicing) on its proprietary Imprint Core technology platform, with native application and servicing experiences embeddable within partner brand apps and websites via SDK or API.
Product overview
Imprint offers a platform-plus-modules architecture for modern co-branded financial products, centered on its proprietary Imprint Core technology platform that the company "built from scratch." Imprint Core powers four product layers—Predict (underwriting and credit decisions), Insights (analytics and reporting), Marketing (ML-driven personalization), and Rewards (SKU-level rewards and loyalty integration)—and supports three core financial product lines: Co-branded Credit Cards, Deposit Accounts, and Installment Plans. On top of this platform, Imprint delivers a portfolio of named co-branded card programs for partner brands, including the Shell Performance Elite World Mastercard, Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature Credit Card, Rakuten American Express Card, Brooks Brothers World Mastercard, H-E-B Visa Signature Credit Card, Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles Premier Visa Signature Card, Fetch American Express Card, Central Market Visa Signature Credit Card, World of Westgate Mastercard, Holiday Inn Club Vacations World Mastercard, Horizon Hobby Visa Credit Card, Crate & Barrel Visa Signature Card, and CB2 Visa Signature Card. The company is also expanding into the Imprint Rewards Network and announced the upcoming Fanatics American Express Card. Programs are issued by First Electronic Bank (and First Bank & Trust for Shell) under Visa, Mastercard, or American Express licenses. Native application and servicing experiences are embeddable within partner brand websites and apps via SDK or API.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Imprint Core: Proprietary full-scale technology platform built from scratch for modern co-branded financial programs, powering operations, products, technologies, and talent across Imprint's offerings.
- Imprint Rewards Network
Products and services
- Imprint Core Proprietary full-stack technology platform purpose-built for modern co-branded financial programs, comprising an immutable ledger, microservices architecture, and four functional layers: Predict (customizable ML-driven underwriting), Insights (real-time cardholder data, customized dashboards, behavioral segmentation), Marketing (ML-driven personalized offers and automated audience segmentation), and Rewards (SKU-level rewards customization, multiple loyalty currencies, rewards affiliate support). Powers every sign-up, swipe, and rewards redemption.
- Co-branded Credit Cards Configurable co-branded credit card programs that reward cardholders and drive engagement back to the partner brand. Features include instant application decisions with no credit-score impact on decline, customizable underwriting, tailored rewards, and embeddable application and servicing via SDK or API. Programs operate under Visa, Mastercard, or American Express licenses via partner issuing banks.
- Co-branded Deposit Accounts Co-branded deposit accounts with debit cards that reward cardholders on every swipe, supporting partner brands' debit and secured card products within the Imprint Core platform.
- Installment Plans Embedded financing products that let customers pay for purchases over time, enabling brands to approve more of their customers at the point of sale within their own digital properties.
- Imprint Rewards Network Loyalty/rewards network connecting multiple loyalty currencies and rewards affiliates to broaden the value of partner brands' rewards programs. Identified by Imprint as a planned area of expansion following the Series D funding round.
Quantifiable outcome
- ~200% cardholder growth year-over-year (reported at Series D)
- +9 more outcomes
Companies that use Imprint
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Imprint technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
AI capability10 records
Feature8 records
Imprint partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
21 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and major.
- Fanatics (in partnership with American Express)flagshipImprint is managing the upcoming Fanatics American Express co-branded credit card, issued by First Electronic Bank, which will earn FanCash rewards redeemable for merchandise, tickets, trading cards, and collectibles. American Express is targeting its ~80% US cardholder base that identifies as sports fans.
- ShellflagshipShell partnered with Imprint to launch the Shell Performance Elite World Mastercard, a no-annual-fee co-branded credit card offering 4% cashback on fuel and in-store purchases, 3% on dining and groceries, and 2% elsewhere. Imprint provides the digital infrastructure and cardholder experience, the card is issued by First Bank & Trust under a Mastercard license, and the program consolidated five legacy Shell credit programs into one modern card experience.
- RakutenflagshipRakuten partnered with Imprint to launch the Rakuten American Express Card, designed to drive shopper engagement from day one with elevated Cash Back across Rakuten purchases, dining, and everyday spending.
- Booking.comflagshipBooking.com collaborated with Imprint to launch the Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature Credit Card, which offers boosted earnings on stays, in-trip purchases, and everyday spending. Cardholders receive instant Genius Level 3 status upon signup.
- Brooks BrothersmajorImprint converted Brooks Brothers' legacy card portfolio to the new Brooks Brothers World Mastercard in just 6 months; 83% of active legacy cardholders engaged within the first month and 30% of inactive cardholders were re-activated.
- H-E-BflagshipImprint built a hyper-customized loyalty program for H-E-B, including SKU-level rewards (e.g., 5% cash back on H-E-B branded items) supported by its proprietary rewards ledger, with real-time promotional adjustment.
- Turkish AirlinesflagshipTurkish Airlines launched the Miles&Smiles Premier Visa Signature Card with Imprint, embedding application and card-to-account linking within Turkish Airlines' own website and app to drive US loyalty program engagement.
- FetchmajorImprint partnered with Fetch to launch the Fetch American Express Card, deepening loyalty by giving Fetch's most engaged users more ways to earn points on everyday spending.
- Central MarketmajorImprint built a bespoke card program for Central Market (H-E-B's gourmet grocery brand) — Central Market Visa Signature Credit Card — that drives higher rewards on Central Market purchases and cross-H-E-B ecosystem spend.
- Westgate ResortsmajorImprint built the World of Westgate Mastercard program enabling instant digital rewards redemption across maintenance fees, mortgages, resort dining, and excursions. Cardholders spend 41% more on resort spend than non-cardholders.
- Holiday Inn Club VacationsmajorImprint launched the Holiday Inn Club Vacations World Mastercard in just 9 weeks, providing rewards and a sleek card management experience tailored to the brand.
- Horizon HobbymajorImprint built the Horizon Hobby Visa Credit Card to re-energize the brand's loyalty program and give hobbyist customers more ways to earn points.
- Crate & BarrelmajorImprint partnered with Crate & Barrel to launch a fully integrated credit card experience embedded across app, ecommerce, and in-store channels with seamless rewards and flexible financing.
- CB2majorImprint partnered with CB2 to launch a fully integrated credit card program embedded across mobile, ecommerce, and in-store touchpoints with rewards and flexible financing.
- Eddie BauermajorImprint and Eddie Bauer announced the new Eddie Bauer World Mastercard to accelerate cardholder rewards and increase customer engagement.
- American Express (network)majorAmerican Express provides the payment network for the Fanatics AmEx card (managed by Imprint) and supports the Rakuten American Express Card, Fetch American Express Card, and Simon American Express Card issued by First Electronic Bank.
- First Electronic Bank (issuer)flagshipFirst Electronic Bank, based in Salt Lake City, issues a portfolio of co-branded credit cards through Imprint including Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, World of Westgate, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Booking.com Genius Rewards, Crate & Barrel, Horizon Hobby, H-E-B, Central Market, Rakuten AmEx, Fetch AmEx, and the upcoming Fanatics AmEx — across Visa, Mastercard, and American Express licenses.
- First Bank & Trust (issuer)majorFirst Bank & Trust issues the Shell Performance Elite World Mastercard under a license from Mastercard, with Imprint providing the digital infrastructure and cardholder experience.
- Visa (network)majorVisa provides the payment network for many Imprint-powered co-branded programs including Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles Visa Signature, H-E-B Visa Signature, Booking.com Genius Rewards Visa Signature, Horizon Hobby Visa, Central Market Visa Signature, Crate & Barrel Visa Signature, and CB2 Visa Signature, all issued by First Electronic Bank under a Visa USA Inc. license.
- Mastercard (network)majorMastercard provides the payment network for Imprint-powered programs including Holiday Inn Club Vacations World Mastercard, World of Westgate World Mastercard, Brooks Brothers World Mastercard, and the Shell Performance Elite World Mastercard (via First Bank & Trust).
- Nova CreditmajorImprint partners with Nova Credit to add cash flow analytics to Imprint's suite of underwriting capabilities, supporting more informed credit decisions for co-branded programs.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Imprint competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Stripe Issuing: Stripe Issuing lets businesses create and manage card programs via API. It overlaps with Imprint in the embedded card-program space and is increasingly used by brands launching co-branded cards, making it a horizontal competitor for some Imprint deals.
- Marqeta: Marqeta is a public, modern card-issuing processor that powers consumer and commercial card programs globally. While broader and more infrastructure-focused than Imprint, it competes for the same brand-sponsored card program RFPs and operates as a horizontal alternative.
- Galileo Financial Technologies: Galileo (a SoFi company) provides card-issuing, transaction processing, and program management APIs to fintechs and brands. It is a broader incumbent in the same product category as Imprint Core, though typically positioned as horizontal infrastructure rather than full-stack co-brand management.
Emerging players
- Treasury Prime: Treasury Prime is a banking-as-a-service platform that connects fintechs and brands to partner banks for deposit, card, and ledger products. It overlaps with Imprint's issuer-bridging and embedded financial product capabilities, particularly on the deposit and debit side.
- Lithic: Lithic is a developer-focused card-issuing API used by fintechs and brands to launch card programs. It is comparable to the issuing/processing layer of Imprint Core but does not own underwriting, servicing, or rewards in the same integrated way.
- Unit: Unit is an embedded banking and card-issuing platform that lets brands and tech companies launch financial products including co-branded cards. It is a younger, emerging competitor in the same end market as Imprint's brand-partner offering.
- Synctera: Synctera is an embedded finance platform pairing fintechs and brands with sponsor banks for card, account, and lending products. It is a younger, emerging alternative in the brand-anchored co-branded financial product space that Imprint competes in.
- Highnote: Highnote is an embedded finance platform providing card issuing, ledgering, and account infrastructure for brands and fintechs. It competes with Imprint for modern, API-driven co-branded card program mandates.
Direct peers
- Cardless: Cardless builds and operates co-branded credit card programs for consumer brands (e.g., Qatar Airways, Amazon, BILT), serving as a direct competitor to Imprint's brand-partner GTM and full-stack program management offering.
- Deserve: Deserve is a cloud-based credit card platform that builds co-branded and private-label card programs for brands and fintechs, including underwriting, issuing, and servicing. It is the closest direct competitor to Imprint in the brand-anchored co-branded card program space.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat7 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Imprint social profiles
Digital presenceImprint compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Imprint financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Imprint leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Imprint subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Imprint funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds9 records
Investors24 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Imprint M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Imprint
What does Imprint do?
Imprint designs, builds, and operates bespoke co-branded financial products — primarily credit cards, plus deposit accounts and installment loans — for enterprise consumer brands. The company runs the full program lifecycle (underwriting, processing, ledgering, rewards, marketing, servicing) on its proprietary Imprint Core technology platform, with native application and servicing experiences embeddable within partner brand apps and websites via SDK or API.
Is Imprint a public or private company?
Imprint is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Imprint founded?
Imprint was founded in 2020. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Imprint based?
Imprint is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Imprint make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Co-branded credit card program revenue is the primary driver. The others are co-branded deposit accounts and installment loans and securitization and balance sheet financing economics.
Who are Imprint's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Stripe Issuing, Marqeta and Galileo Financial Technologies. Emerging players are Treasury Prime, Lithic, Unit, Synctera and Highnote. Direct peers are Cardless and Deserve.
Does Imprint have an API?
Yes. Imprint offers partner-facing APIs and SDKs that allow brands to embed Imprint's co-branded financial product application and servicing directly within their own website and app. As stated: "Native, web-centric application and servicing are embeddable via SDK or API within your brand's website and app." The API enables end-to-end co-branded program launch, management, and integration with brand-owned digital properties. A partner status page is available at https://status.imprint.co/partners, but no public API documentation URL or SDK language was specified. Developer documentation is at status.imprint.co/partners.
What industry is Imprint in?
Imprint's product category is Co-branded Financial Services Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMABAI, Processor-Agnostic / White-Label Acquiring Platforms (Acquiring-as-a-Service).