Prepaid Card Market Report 2026

The prepaid card market size has grown rapidly in recent years. It will grow from $28.75 billion in 2025 to $32.46 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.9%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to expansion of cashless payment ecosystems, growth in unbanked and underbanked populations, rising demand for controlled spending instruments, adoption of prepaid cards in payroll systems, expansion of retail acceptance networks.

The prepaid card market size is expected to see rapid growth in the next few years. It will grow to $53.18 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.1%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to increasing use of prepaid cards in cross-border payments, growing adoption of digital wallet-linked prepaid cards, rising demand for contactless payment solutions, expansion of fintech prepaid offerings, increasing regulatory focus on payment transparency. Major trends in the forecast period include increasing adoption of reloadable prepaid cards, rising use of prepaid cards for digital payments, expansion of government benefit card programs, growing integration with mobile wallets, enhanced focus on transaction security.

The increasing demand for e-commerce is expected to propel the growth of the prepaid card market going forward. E-commerce or electronic commerce, refers to the buying and selling of goods and services over the internet or other electronic channels. Prepaid cards are widely used for making online purchases. Consumers can load funds onto their prepaid cards and use them to buy products and services from e-commerce websites. This convenience encourages the adoption of prepaid cards as a payment method in the online shopping ecosystem. For instance, in August 2023, according to the United States Census Bureau, a US-based government agency, compared to the second quarter of 2022, the estimate for e-commerce in the second quarter of 2023 climbed by 7.5% (or 1.4%), while overall retail sales rose by 0.6% (or 0.4%). 15.4% of all sales in the second quarter of 2023 were made through online stores. Therefore, the increasing demand for e-commerce is driving the growth of the prepaid card market going forward.

Major companies operating in the prepaid card market are innovating new products, such as Neokred to increase their profitability in the market. Neokred is a payments infrastructure enabler that aids businesses in smoothly launching their banking solutions. For instance, in July 2023, Giverly, a US-based social impact fintech startup, launched Neokred. The card, which is co-branded with Visa and Transcorp International, is a charity payback platform that turns online purchases into gratuitous contributions that have real impact on some of the most important humanitarian issues. The card is intended to change the way people give to charities and give to charities, providing each organization a real effect.

In May 2025, CPI Card Group Inc., a US-based payments technology company, acquired Arroweye Solutions, Inc. for approximately $45.5 million. With this acquisition, CPI Card Group aimed to strengthen and expand its payment card production, personalization, and fulfillment capabilities by integrating Arroweye’s on-demand, digitally driven card manufacturing technology into its existing portfolio. Arroweye Solutions Inc. is a US-based payments technology company that specializes in just-in-time production, personalization, and fulfillment of payment cards, including prepaid, debit, and credit cards, for financial institutions and fintech providers.

Major companies operating in the prepaid card market are Walmart Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co., American Express Company, Visa Inc., PayPal Holdings Inc., Truist Financial Corporation, Mastercard Incorporated, Regions Financial Corporation, The Western Union Company, Total System Services LLC, Akimbo Financial Inc., Green Dot Corporation, Republic Bank & Trust Company, Pathward N.A., Insight Card Services Inc., NetSpend Holdings Inc., Rêv Worldwide Inc., FamZoo Inc., Prepaid2cash Holdings Inc., BBVA Compass Bancshares Inc., Kaiku Finance LLC, Mango Financial Inc., Bluebird by American Express, Prepaid Expense Card Solutions Inc., Achieve Financial Services LLC, MovoCash Inc., Cashflows.

Asia-Pacific was the largest region in the prepaid card market in 2025. Western Europe was the second largest market in the global prepaid card market share. The regions covered in the prepaid card market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the prepaid card market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

The prepaid card market consists of revenues earned by entities that are engaged in storing, processing and transmitting prepaid card data. Prepaid cards may be open-loop or closed-loop. While an open-loop prepaid card can be used at any locations accepting cards, a closed-loop prepaid card can only be used at certain locations such as a specific store or a group of stores. Revenue generated from the cards market include all processing and service fees levied by banks and financial institutions for processing card-based payments. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. Only goods and services traded between entities or sold to end consumers are included.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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