What Purewrist does

Purewrist is a privately held New York-based fintech that operates an all-in-one white-label contactless payments platform built around a waterproof silicone wearable bracelet containing an embedded EMV contactless chip, operating on the Mastercard network without batteries or charging. The company sells two consumer prepaid card programs — Purewrist GO (a non-reloadable starter card bundled with the bracelet and a swappable Mini Card) and Purewrist DIRECT (a reloadable personalized card with FDIC insurance, digital Mastercard access, and P2P transfers) — managed through iOS and Android mobile applications that integrate with Plaid for ACH funding and with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay as digital fallback rails.

The company earns revenue from one-time hardware sales (with a $4.99 activation fee included in the purchase price), recurring monthly maintenance fees of $4.95 (waived above $250/month spending), international transaction fees of 3%, card replacement and closure fees, and $2.99 monthly inactivity charges on dormant starter cards. Its go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer e-commerce through shop.purewrist.com with USPS shipping against a parallel enterprise B2B motion targeting hospitality, live entertainment venues, fintechs, smart cities, nonprofits, and financial institutions, where Purewrist offers white-label branded card programs, gift cards, payroll and disbursement solutions, virtual cards, incentive cards, and crypto-backed cards.

Strategic positioning relies on Mastercard co-branding, EMV certification, GLBA and PCI-DSS compliance, and integrations with NYC MTA OMNY and Dallas DART transit systems. The company is led by CEO Suresh Palliparambil and Co-Founder & President Ari Gardiner, operates with 1–10 employees, and has an additional office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. No external funding rounds or institutional investors are disclosed, and ownership remains founder-controlled after founding in 2013.

Name

Purewrist

Legal name

Purewrist, LLC

Website

https://purewrist.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Purewrist is a New York-based fintech that sells waterproof, battery-free wearable bracelets with embedded EMV contactless chips on the Mastercard network, targeting consumers, families, hospitality, live entertainment, fintechs, smart cities, and financial institutions with white-label branded prepaid card programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wearable Contactless Payments

NAICS

Credit Card Issuing (52221)

SIC

Wholesale-Computers & Peripheral Equipment & Software (5045)

akta.pro primary industry

mPOS & SoftPOS (Tap-to-Phone) Solutions (FSAMADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

POS, SoftPOS & In-Person Acceptance Infrastructure (FSAGABAO), Mobile Wallets (NFC Tap-to-Pay / HCE) (FSAMAEAB), Open-Loop EMV Contactless Fare Payments (THAIAMAD), Open-Loop Prepaid Cards (Network-Branded) (FSAMANAA)

Keywords

• Wearable payment technology
• Contactless payment platform
• Prepaid debit cards
• White-label card programs
• Mobile payment solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales: Sale of Purewrist GO wearable bracelets which include a starter prepaid Mastercard account. One-time purchase of the physical wearable device.
2. Monthly Maintenance Fees: $4.95 monthly maintenance fee charged only if spending is less than or equal to $250/month. Applicable to personalized reloadable cards after identity verification.
3. International Transaction Fees: 3% fee on international transactions outside the USA. Only available on personalized cards after upgrade.
4. Card Service Fees: Card replacement fee of $5.00 for lost, stolen, or damaged cards (Personalized Cards only). Account closure fee of $2.00 (Personalized Cards only).
5. Inactivity Fees: $2.99 monthly inactivity fee for Starter Cards with no use over a 12-month period.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Purewrist manufactures and sells a wearable contactless payment bracelet containing an embedded EMV chip that runs on the Mastercard network, allowing users to tap-to-pay at any contactless point-of-sale terminal worldwide without a phone, wallet, or battery. The consumer product comes as Purewrist GO (non-reloadable single-load starter prepaid card) or Purewrist DIRECT (reloadable personalized prepaid card with FDIC insurance after identity verification), managed via iOS and Android mobile apps.

Product overview

Purewrist is a wearable contactless payment platform consisting of a core product line and business solutions. The core offering includes Purewrist GO (a non-reloadable starter prepaid card program with bracelet and mini card) and Purewrist DIRECT (a reloadable personalized prepaid card program). Both are powered by a silicone waterproof bracelet with embedded contactless Mastercard technology, paired with a mini card that slots into the bracelet. The platform also includes a mobile app for iOS/Android that manages funds, transactions, and digital card access. Business solutions expand the platform with reloadable prepaid cards, gift cards, payroll/disbursements, virtual cards, incentive cards, and crypto-backed cards for organizations across hospitality, financial services, entertainment, corporate campuses, fintechs, smart cities, and nonprofits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Purewrist GO: Non-reloadable single load starter prepaid card program
• Purewrist DIRECT

Products and services

• Purewrist GO (Starter Card) A starter prepaid contactless Mastercard program that bundles the Purewrist wearable bracelet with a contactless-enabled Mini Card and a single-load prepaid account (min $10, max $500) for individual consumers new to the platform. Card can be upgraded to a reloadable personalized account.
• Purewrist DIRECT (Personalized Card) A reloadable personalized prepaid Mastercard program that allows verified users to add funds, manage their account via the mobile app, and use the wearable for everyday payments, transit, online, and P2P transfers. Subject to $4.95 monthly maintenance fee if monthly spending is at or below $250 and 3% international transaction fee.
• Purewrist Wearable Bracelet The core physical product — a waterproof silicone bracelet with an embedded EMV contactless payment chip that enables tap-to-pay transactions without phone, wallet, or charging. Includes a secure pocket to hold the removable Mini Card.
• Mini Card A removable contactless-enabled mini card that snaps out from a regular card shape and slots into the Purewrist bracelet's pocket. Each Mini Card has one prepaid Mastercard account tied to its chip and can be swapped between different bracelet colors.
• Purewrist Mobile App iOS and Android mobile application that manages the Purewrist Digital Debit Mastercard, allowing users to add funds from linked bank accounts or debit/credit cards, send and receive money with other users, view transaction history, lock the card, and access card details for online and in-app purchases.
• Branded Reloadable Prepaid Card Programs (Enterprise) White-label enterprise offering that enables organizations to build revenue, customer loyalty, and engagement through their own branded reloadable contactless card programs on the Purewrist platform.
• Branded Gift Cards (Enterprise) Custom branded contactless payment bracelets or cards with single-use or reloadable capabilities, designed for gifting to friends, employees, clients, or other stakeholders.
• Payroll & Disbursements (Enterprise) Enterprise solution for delivering payroll and commission payments to staff with immediately available funds via custom contactless payment bracelets and cards.
• Virtual Cards (Enterprise) Enterprise solution for issuing one-time virtual cards for online purchases or for digital wallet integration with Apple Pay or Google Pay.
• Incentive Cards (Enterprise) Enterprise solution for incentivizing stakeholders with customized Purewrist payment accessories, rewarding specific actions with branded wearable payment products.
• Crypto-Backed Cards (Enterprise) Enterprise solution enabling crypto wallets and exchanges to issue crypto-backed fiat currency cards, with Purewrist accessories or as regular cards.

Quantifiable outcome

• Faster transit throughput through hands-free wearable payments without phone unlocking requirements
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• MastercardcoreTechnology or IntegrationMastercard provides the payment network infrastructure for Purewrist wearables. Products are certified by Mastercard and powered by their trust and security standards. Users receive FDIC insured accounts through the Mastercard network. Purewrist is eligible for Mastercard Priceless Surprises sweepstakes promotions.
• New York City Football Club (NYCFC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst-of-its-kind wearable payment launch during COVID-19 pandemic. Distributed contactless payment wearables with pre-loaded funds to NYCFC season ticket holders. Joint effort between Purewrist, Mastercard, and NYCFC for technical rollout and fan engagement.
• PlaidcoreTechnology or IntegrationPlaid integration enables bank account linking for fund loading and ACH transfers. Recommended for best experience when linking bank accounts via the Purewrist Mobile App.
• Apple PaycoreTechnology or IntegrationPurewrist supports Apple Pay digital wallet integration for situations where the physical bracelet is not available.
• Google PaycoreTechnology or IntegrationPurewrist supports Google Pay digital wallet integration for in-app purchases when physical bracelet is not handy.
• Samsung PaycoreTechnology or IntegrationPurewrist supports Samsung Pay digital wallet integration for additional mobile payment flexibility.
• NYC MTAcoreTechnology or IntegrationPurewrist is compatible with the OMNY contactless transit system as NYC transitions from MetroCard. Enables tap-to-pay entry at turnstiles without phone or card retrieval.
• Dallas DARTcoreTechnology or IntegrationPurewrist accepted for public transit fare payments on Dallas DART systems.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kerv: London-based maker of the Kerv payment ring, a contactless wearable payment device on the Mastercard network. Same fundamental concept as Purewrist: embed an EMV contactless chip into a wearable (ring vs. bracelet) so consumers can tap to pay without a phone or card. Most direct comparable on hardware form factor + payments.
• Tappy Technologies: Hong Kong-based wearable payment tokenization provider that enables fashion, fitness, and watch brands to embed contactless payment chips into accessories. Operates in the same white-label wearable-payment-into-partner-products niche as Purewrist's enterprise/partnership-driven motion.
• NXT-ID / IDEMIA (Fit Pay): NXT-ID's Fit Pay platform provided EMV/contactless wearable issuance infrastructure that was folded into IDEMIA's connected wearables practice. Closest historical and capability comparable to Purewrist on wearable NFC + tokenized payments integration with OEMs and issuers.

Broad incumbents

• Marqeta: Public, scaled card-issuing and payment-processing platform that powers branded prepaid and debit card programs for fintechs and enterprises. Mirrors Purewrist's white-label B2B issuance architecture at far greater scale and acts as the benchmark incumbent in Purewrist's addressable market.
• Galileo Financial Technologies: SoFi-owned card-issuing and processing infrastructure provider for fintechs, banks, and corporates offering prepaid, debit, and credit programs. Comparable to Purewrist's reloadable prepaid and business white-label program layer.
• Apple Pay (Apple Watch): Apple's NFC wearable payment platform on Apple Watch competes directly for the same hands-free tap-to-pay use case Purewrist solves. Less form-factor specialized, but is the dominant wearable payments incumbent setting consumer expectations.

Emerging players

• Crypto.com Card: Crypto.com's card program offers a metal/Mastercard reloadable card with no monthly fees and rewards. Overlaps with Purewrist DIRECT's reloadable prepaid model and Purewrist's B2B crypto-backed card program add-on.
• Greenlight: Greenlight is a fintech prepaid debit card and app targeted at kids and families, with parental controls and spending education. Overlaps with Purewrist's "Parents and Families" segment use case (controlled funds for kids, more secure than cash) and the broader reloadable prepaid positioning.
• Current: Current is a U.S. consumer fintech offering prepaid debit accounts with mobile-app-based fund management, peer-to-peer transfers, and branded card programs. Comparable to Purewrist DIRECT's reloadable prepaid account model and consumer mobile-app experience.

Regional players

• Octopus Cards (Hong Kong): Octopus is a region-dominant stored-value contactless payment system that originated in transit and extended to retail wearables (watches, bands). Comparable to Purewrist's transit-tap use case and stored-value wearable model in Asia.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/purewrist
• Facebookfacebook.com/purewristlive
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/purewrist
• Instagraminstagram.com/purewrist

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Purewrist