The Nilson Report
The Nilson Report is a 55-year-old, privately held subscription newsletter covering the global card and payment industry, serving banks, card networks, processors, and merchants with proprietary data on 1,430+ financial institutions across 120+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1971
- HeadquartersCarpinteria, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Nilson Report does
The Nilson Report (legally HSN Consultants, Inc.) is a privately held, subscription-based B2B trade publication founded in 1971 and headquartered in Carpinteria, California. The company publishes a twice-monthly newsletter covering global card and payment industry news, statistics, and rankings, distributed 22 times per year in digital PDF format. Its core product is proprietary data compiled through direct surveys of more than 1,430 financial institutions across 120+ countries, packaged into the flagship newsletter ($2,495/year), a Premium tier that adds the annual Research Publication 'The World's Top Card Issuers and Merchant Acquirers' ($6,995/year), and Enterprise subscriptions with multi-employee access for large organizations. 100% of revenue is derived from subscriptions; the company explicitly does not accept advertising, sponsored content, or pay-to-play arrangements, a positioning it uses to differentiate from ad-supported industry coverage.
The technology footprint is intentionally lean: a digital publishing platform delivering PDF newsletters and Excel data tables via an online subscriber portal, with a 15-year back-issue archive accessible to subscribers and a 27-year back-issue catalog available for individual purchase. Content is human-edited and primary-research-driven, with no disclosed AI, API, or software-as-a-service surface area; the product is data-as-a-publication rather than data-as-an-API. Go-to-market is a hybrid of self-serve subscription purchase through the website for individual and Premium tiers, and direct enterprise sales for organizational contracts.
The customer base spans card issuers (JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo), payment networks (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), payment processors and technology vendors (Fiserv, Worldpay from FIS), merchant acquirers (Oliphant Financial), European banks (ING), enterprise buyers in adjacent industries (Microsoft's fraud protection division), investment and consulting firms (NYCA Partners), large merchants, and academic institutions (University of California, Irvine). Owner-publisher David Robertson operates the business with 11-50 employees, and the publication has been cited by major business outlets including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, CNBC, and Reuters as the most-quoted authority on card payments.
The Nilson Report firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Nilson Report
- Legal name
- HSN Consultants, Inc.
- Website
- https://nilsonreport.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1971
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Nilson Report is a 55-year-old, privately held subscription newsletter covering the global card and payment industry, serving banks, card networks, processors, and merchants with proprietary data on 1,430+ financial institutions across 120+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Nilson Report industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Payment Industry Research and Intelligence
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (513120)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines (MPAJAEAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Subscription & Fulfillment Services (Print & Digital) (MPAJAKAB)
Keywords
Where The Nilson Report is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Carpinteria
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Nilson Report business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Newsletter Subscription: Bi-monthly newsletter delivered 22 times per year in digital PDF format with online access and full access to 15 years of back issues. Price point of $2,495/year for individual subscriptions.
- Premium Subscription: Includes newsletter subscription plus the annual Research Publication 'The World's Top Card Issuers and Merchant Acquirers' covering 1,430+ financial institutions in 120+ countries. Priced at $6,995/year.
- Enterprise Subscriptions: Tailored subscription plans for organizations requiring access for all employees across departments, offering single annual billing and shareable data across the company.
- Back Issues: Digital versions of past issues available for purchase, with archives dating back 27 years and issues available from 1997–2024.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Newsletter Subscription - Twice-monthly newsletter with 22 issues per year in digital PDF format, online digital access, and full access to 15 years of back issues. |
| Subscription | Annual | Premium Subscription - Includes newsletter subscription plus the 17th Edition Annual Research Publication (October 2025) covering 1,430 financial institutions in 120 countries. |
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise Subscription - Tailored subscription plans for organizations requiring access for all employees with single annual billing. |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Nilson Report product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Nilson Report publishes a bi-monthly subscription newsletter (22 issues per year) and an annual research publication providing proprietary news, analysis, rankings, and statistics on the global card and payment industry. Content is sold exclusively through annual subscriptions to payment industry professionals at financial institutions, card networks, processors, and consultancies worldwide.
Product overview
The Nilson Report is a subscription-based publication providing news and analysis of the global card and payment industry. The product portfolio consists of the core Nilson Report Newsletter (published 22 times per year covering payment card industry news, statistics, and rankings), the Premium Subscription tier (which adds the annual Research Publication 'The World's Top Card Issuers and Merchant Acquirers'), Enterprise Subscriptions for organizational-wide access, and Back Issues archive. The publication is entirely subscription-funded with no advertising, offering proprietary data on card issuers, merchant acquirers, payment networks, fraud statistics, and processing fees gathered through direct surveys of financial institutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Nilson Report Newsletter The flagship twice-monthly newsletter providing news and analysis of the global card and payment industry. Published 22 times per year in digital PDF format with online access, including exclusive statistics, feature articles, contact details for executives, and full access to 15 years of back issues. Targeted at payment industry professionals at financial institutions, card networks, processors, and consultancies.
- The World's Top Card Issuers and Merchant Acquirers (Research Publication) Annual comprehensive research publication compiling one year of published statistics and data plus unpublished research on businesses outside top 50 and top 100 rankings. Includes over 1,430 financial institutions in more than 120 countries (1,171 issuers and 259 acquirers), with 65 downloadable Excel data tables. Available in PDF plus dynamic Excel format. Targeted at payment industry professionals needing in-depth rankings and data.
- Back Issues Archive Digital archive of past newsletter issues dating back 27 years (1997–2024). All back issues available as downloadable PDF files that are fully searchable. Available for individual purchase by subscribers and non-subscribers seeking historical industry data and trends.
Quantifiable outcome
- Quoted by more business news publications than any other in the payments industry
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The Nilson Report
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Nilson Report technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Nilson Report partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Nilson Report competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- PYMNTS.com: Digital media publication covering payments, commerce, and the connected economy with proprietary research and rankings — direct competitor for payments-industry mind share and enterprise readership.
- Payments Dive: Trade publication delivering daily news, analysis, and research on the payments industry — overlapping audience with Nilson among payments professionals and financial institutions.
- The Green Sheet: Long-running trade publication serving the merchant acquiring and payments processing community; comparable B2B subscription model and reader base.
- Electronic Payments International: B2B magazine and digital platform covering card payments, mobile payments, and fintech — direct competitor for advertising and subscription revenue in the payments vertical.
- Finextra: Payments and banking news, research, and community platform serving financial institutions globally — comparable enterprise readership and content focus.
- Bank Innovation: Digital publication tracking innovation across banking and payments, including digital currency and fintech — overlapping editorial scope and B2B audience.
Broad incumbents
- American Banker: Established B2B financial-services media brand covering banking, payments, and fintech broadly — overlaps with Nilson on payments coverage and enterprise banking subscribers.
- PaymentsSource (SourceMedia): Payments-industry news and research property covering issuing, acquiring, and fraud — directly comparable to Nilson Report on topic coverage.
Emerging players
- Knobbe FinTech Research: Niche payments research publisher selling proprietary data and analysis to financial institutions — emerging competitor for Nilson's premium research-publication buyers.
Others
- BIS Quarterly Review / Bank for International Settlements: Public-sector publisher of authoritative payment-system statistics and research; not a direct commercial peer but a relevant data source for the same enterprise audience Nilson serves.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Nilson Report social profiles
Digital presenceThe Nilson Report financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Nilson Report leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Nilson Report funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Nilson Report 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 The Nilson Report
What does The Nilson Report do?
The Nilson Report publishes a bi-monthly subscription newsletter (22 issues per year) and an annual research publication providing proprietary news, analysis, rankings, and statistics on the global card and payment industry. Content is sold exclusively through annual subscriptions to payment industry professionals at financial institutions, card networks, processors, and consultancies worldwide.
Is The Nilson Report a public or private company?
The Nilson Report is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Nilson Report founded?
The Nilson Report was founded in 1971. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Nilson Report based?
The Nilson Report is headquartered in Carpinteria, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Nilson Report make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Newsletter Subscription is the primary driver. The others are premium Subscription, enterprise Subscriptions and back Issues.
Who are The Nilson Report's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are PYMNTS.com, Payments Dive, The Green Sheet, Electronic Payments International, Finextra and Bank Innovation. Broad incumbents are American Banker and PaymentsSource (SourceMedia). Knobbe FinTech Research is listed as an emerging player. BIS Quarterly Review / Bank for International Settlements is listed as an others.
Does The Nilson Report have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Nilson Report.
What industry is The Nilson Report in?
The Nilson Report's product category is Payment Industry Research and Intelligence. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAEAM, Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines, with a secondary code of MPAJAKAB, Subscription & Fulfillment Services (Print & Digital). Its NAICS code is 513120 and its SIC code is 2721.