The Advantage Network

What The Advantage Network does

The Advantage Network is an electronic funds transfer (EFT) services division of The First National Bank in Sioux Falls, established in 1978 to provide shared payments infrastructure to community banks and credit unions. It serves member financial institutions across five Midwestern states — North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Iowa — offering card issuance, ATM sponsorship, mobile wallet support, fraud monitoring, stored value programs, and loyalty rewards. The platform operates at a small scale, with 11–50 employees and six team members listed publicly.

The technical stack is anchored by FIS Global as core processor, with Visa network integration and Allpoint ATM network participation providing cardholders access to 55,000+ surcharge-free ATMs and 150+ member ATMs. Card production is supported through First National Bank's in-house plastics facility, and instant card issuance is available at member branches. Fraud prevention is layered via SecurLOCK Fraud Manager (velocity checking) and Visa Transaction Advisor (analyzing 500+ data points per transaction); ScoreCard powers rewards. The platform supports modern digital payment surfaces including Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and Visa Checkout, alongside traditional debit, credit, ATM, and stored value programs.

The business model is B2B and transaction-fee based, with member institutions paying for card processing, ATM services, fraud tooling, and rewards based on a tiered pricing schedule keyed to institution asset size. Advantage historically reached a peak of 100+ member financial institutions. As a non-public division of a privately held community bank, no revenue, growth rates, or transaction volumes are disclosed. Go-to-market is anchored by industry relationships, ICBSD membership, and participation in Independent Community Bankers of South Dakota, targeting community banks and credit unions that lack the scale to build these functions in-house.

Name

The Advantage Network

Legal name

The First National Bank in Sioux Falls, d/b/a The Advantage Network

Website

https://advantage-network.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Advantage Network is an electronic funds transfer services division of The First National Bank in Sioux Falls, providing card processing, ATM access, mobile wallet support, fraud prevention, and rewards to community banks and credit unions across five Midwestern states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Services for Financial Institutions

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232), Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320)

SIC

Finance Services (6199), Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)

akta.pro primary industry

Alternative Card Network Schemes (e.g., PIN-debit / EFT networks) (FSAMAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

ATM / Cash Access Network Schemes (FSAMAAAH), Open-Loop Prepaid Cards (Network-Branded) (FSAMANAA)

Keywords

• Electronic funds transfer services
• Debit card processing
• ATM transaction processing
• Community bank card services
• Card fraud monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Sioux Falls

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. EFT and Card Processing Services: Revenue generated from providing electronic funds transfer services, debit card processing, and ATM transaction processing to member financial institutions. These services help institutions grow their non-interest income.
2. Debit Card Production: Fees for producing customized debit cards for member financial institutions, including consumer, business, health savings account, affinity, and co-branded cards.
3. Rewards Programs: ScoreCard/ScoreMore rewards programs that encourage checkcard usage and build cardholder loyalty, generating interchange revenue for institutions.
4. ATM Network Membership: Allpoint ATM network membership is free for member institutions; revenue comes from transaction processing and potential foreign service fees.
5. Marketing Services: Quarterly marketing campaigns, customized marketing support, and collateral provided to member institutions to drive card usage and e-commerce.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Advantage Network provides electronic funds transfer (EFT) services to community banks and credit unions across five Midwestern U.S. states, including debit card programs (consumer, business, HSA, affinity, co-branded), custom card production with instant issuance, ATM operating and transaction processing, fraud monitoring (SecurLOCK, Visa Transaction Advisor), marketing campaign support, checkcard rewards programs, and stored value/prepaid card products. Services are delivered through FIS Global's processing platform with Visa network integration and Allpoint ATM network access.

Product overview

The Advantage Network is a regional EFT (electronic funds transfer) services provider offering a unified debit card and ATM services platform for financial institutions. The core portfolio includes Debit Card Programs (consumer, business, HSA, affinity), Checkcard Production with customization options and Instant Issuance, and ATM Services with complete operating and processing support. These core offerings are augmented by the Allpoint ATM Network and Surcharge-Free Alliance for expanded ATM access, Marketing Campaigns and Checkcard Alerts/Card Controls for customer engagement, ScoreCard/ScoreMore Rewards and Stored Value Programs for cardholder incentives, and Fraud Monitoring services including SecurLOCK and Visa Transaction Advisor. The company operates through a partnership with FIS Global, Inc. and processes transactions over the Visa network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Debit Card Programs Comprehensive debit card programs for community banks and credit unions, including consumer, business, health savings accounts (HSA), and affinity/co-branded cards, protected by fraud mitigation technology and accepted worldwide wherever Visa is accepted.
• Checkcard Production and Customization Customizable card production services for member financial institutions, including full-color image cards, dual interface chip cards, cardholder and financial institution custom designs, PIN reminders, and contactless cards.
• Instant Issuance (Start Card) On-site card production service enabling cardholders to receive their permanent chip card the same day as their branch visit at member financial institutions.
• ATM Services Complete ATM operating and transaction processing system for member financial institutions, supporting cash dispensers to full-service machines, including ongoing monitoring, support for communication and hardware faults, and balancing and dispute handling.
• Allpoint ATM Network Access Surcharge-free access to 55,000 Allpoint ATMs worldwide at retailers such as Target, Kroger, and Costco, available free for Advantage member financial institutions.
• Surcharge-Free Alliance Member financial institutions' cardholders can access 150+ Advantage ATMs owned by fellow member institutions without surcharges.
• Marketing Campaigns Quarterly marketing campaign support for member institutions, including creative development, target audience identification, results reporting, and customized off-cycle campaigns, plus a social media solution for resource-constrained clients.
• ScoreCard / ScoreMore Rewards Programs Rewards program offering consumer and small business checkcard holders the opportunity to earn points for purchases, redeemable for rewards. ScoreMore is a merchant-funded rewards program included at no cost with ScoreCard.
• Stored Value Programs Prepaid card products for cardholders, providing stored value functionality for various use cases at member financial institutions.
• Fraud Monitoring Services Comprehensive fraud mitigation services for member institutions, including SecurLOCK Fraud Manager with velocity checking, Visa Transaction Advisor (analyzes 500+ data points for fraud scoring), Address Verification Service (AVS), and 24/7 monitoring with transaction alerts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Visa Transaction Advisor reduced fraud by more than half for merchants using the service
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FIS Global, Inc.coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 1978FIS Global is described as one of the world's leading technology providers and the world's largest financial services provider. The Advantage Network provides EFT services through this partnership, gaining access to innovative technology while maintaining local customer service. The partnership provides Visa integration, analytics, marketing tools, and fraud prevention services.
• AllpointcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAllpoint provides 55,000 surcharge-free ATMs worldwide for Advantage cardholders. Membership in the Allpoint ATM Network is free to Advantage member financial institutions. Cardholders receive surcharge-free cash withdrawal transactions at Allpoint ATMs located in Target, Kroger, Costco, and other retailers.
• VisacoreTechnology or IntegrationAs a Visa partner, The Advantage Network and member institutions have access to Visa's analytics, marketing tools, services, and reports including Visa Checkout, Visa Zero Liability Policy, 24-hour fraud monitoring, and transaction alerts. Debit cards are issued on the Visa network and accepted worldwide.
• Independent Community Bankers of South Dakota (ICBSD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Advantage Network is a member of ICBSD, and articles about staff members are published in ICBSD's magazine 'The Bottom Line.' The relationship supports advocacy for community banking in South Dakota.
• The First National Bank in Sioux FallscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerThe Advantage Network was born from The First National Bank in Sioux Falls in 1978 and operates as a division of the bank (d/b/a The Advantage Network). The bank installed the first ATM in South Dakota and continues to own and support the Advantage Network.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Fiserv: Fiserv is a major payments and financial technology provider offering debit card processing, ATM networks, and core banking to community banks and credit unions. It competes with Advantage across the entire EFT stack.
• NCR Atleos: NCR Atleos is a leading ATM manufacturer and operator (spun from NCR). It provides ATM hardware, software, and managed services to community banks directly competing with Advantage's ATM Services offering.
• Cardtronics: Cardtronics (now part of NCR Atleos) is the largest ATM operator in the US, providing ATM management and surcharge-free network services similar to Advantage's ATM operating and Allpoint access offerings.
• FIS Global: FIS Global is the world's largest financial services technology provider and Advantage's core technology partner. FIS offers a full suite of EFT, core banking, and card processing services to community banks and credit unions, overlapping with Advantage's full product portfolio.
• Jack Henry & Associates: Jack Henry provides core banking, card processing, and EFT services to community banks and credit unions. Its Banno digital platform and card services compete directly with Advantage's offerings as a much larger incumbent.

Direct peers

• SHAZAM: SHAZAM is an EFT network and core payments processor owned by BancorpSouth (now Cadence Bank). It provides debit card processing, ATM network access, and fraud services to community banks and credit unions, directly comparable to Advantage's offerings.
• CO-OP Financial Services: CO-OP Financial Services is a credit-union-owned EFT network and debit/credit processor. Like The Advantage Network, it provides ATM/debit card services and fraud monitoring to member financial institutions, making it the most direct comparable in the community institution space.
• ICBA Bancard: ICBA Bancard is the payments-services affiliate of the Independent Community Bankers of America, providing card processing, ATM, and fraud services to community banks nationwide. It directly competes with Advantage for the same community bank segment.
• MoneyPass: MoneyPass is a surcharge-free ATM network operated by Fiserv. It competes with Advantage's Allpoint-backed offering by providing financial institutions a large, free ATM network for cardholders.

Emerging players

• Data Center Inc (DCI): DCI provides core banking, digital, and processing technology to community banks. While less direct in EFT, it serves the same community bank customer base and increasingly offers adjacent payment services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-advantage-network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 The Advantage Network