BIN Sponsorship by ZEN.COM

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is BIN Sponsorship?

  BIN Sponsorship is an arrangement where a licensed financial institution (in this case ZEN.COM) provides access to its Bank Identification Number (BIN) range and Mastercard network membership to a third-party company. This allows that company to issue payment cards under their own brand. ZEN.COM handles all the underlying regulatory and network requirements. You get the card product. We provide the infrastructure.

• How can my business benefit from BIN Sponsorship?

  BIN Sponsorship lets you launch a fully branded Mastercard payment card without becoming a licensed financial institution. For businesses, this means faster time to market (weeks, not years), lower upfront costs compared to obtaining your own licence, full brand control over the card product, and the ability to build new revenue streams or deepen customer loyalty through a card. Whether you run an employee benefit platform, a loyalty programme, or a fintech product, you can put a payment card at the heart of your offering.

• Are there any costs involved with BIN Sponsorship?

  BIN Sponsorship involves commercial terms agreed during partnership setup. Typical cost components include a programme setup fee, per-card issuance fees, and transaction processing fees that scale with your card volume. There are no hidden costs. All fees are disclosed before you sign. ZEN.COM also shares interchange revenue with you, which means your card programme can be structured to be cost-neutral or to generate a net revenue stream. Programmes at any scale are welcome. Commercial terms are agreed individually and reflect your programme size. Contact us to get a tailored quote.

• Do I need a banking or e-money licence to issue cards?

  No. That's the core purpose of BIN Sponsorship. ZEN.COM holds the e-money institution licence and is a principal member of Mastercard. You operate under ZEN.COM's regulatory umbrella, which means you can issue cards legally without obtaining your own licence. This removes years of regulatory waiting time and the associated compliance costs.

• How long does the BIN Sponsorship process take?

  Typically around 8 weeks from signed agreement to live cards. The timeline depends on the complexity of your card programme, card design approval, and your integration requirements. Our team will give you a precise timeline after the initial scoping call.

• What types of cards can I issue?

  Through ZEN.COM BIN Sponsorship you can issue prepaid Mastercard cards, both physical and virtual. Common programme types include gift cards, meal benefit cards restricted to food merchants, general-purpose prepaid cards, employee benefit cards, and corporate expense cards. You can also configure spending controls to restrict usage by merchant category, geography, or transaction amount.

• Can I fully customise the card design?

  Yes. Cards carry your logo, colour scheme, and design. Both physical and virtual cards reflect your brand identity. The card will display your brand name alongside the ZEN.COM and Mastercard marks as required by network rules. ZEN.COM's design team guides you through Mastercard's card design approval process to ensure your design meets network standards.

• Who handles KYC, AML, and compliance?

  ZEN.COM is responsible for regulatory compliance as the licensed sponsor. This includes cardholder identity verification (KYC), AML monitoring, transaction fraud detection, 3D Secure authentication, and all regulatory reporting obligations. Depending on your card type and risk profile, some KYC steps may be handled through your own onboarding flow, integrated with ZEN.COM's verification infrastructure.

• Where are the cards accepted?

  Cards issued through ZEN.COM BIN Sponsorship run on the Mastercard network and are accepted at over 150 million merchant locations in 210+ countries, both in-person and online. If you issue a restricted card such as a meal card, acceptance is limited to the merchant categories you configure. Apple Pay and Google Pay are also supported.

• What happens if my cardholders need support?

  You manage the front-line relationship with your cardholders. It's your brand and your customer. ZEN.COM provides infrastructure and back-office support. For card blocking, PIN issues, disputed transactions, and regulatory matters, ZEN.COM's cardholder support processes are available. We'll agree the support model during setup to ensure a consistent experience for your end users.

• What are the requirements for BIN Sponsorship?

  You need to be a registered company with a clear, lawful use case for issuing payment cards. ZEN.COM conducts due diligence on your business as required by our regulatory obligations. There is no minimum card volume required to get started, though commercial terms scale with your programme size. Reach out via the form below and we'll assess your programme in our initial call. If your programme falls outside our current scope, we'll let you know at that stage.

• How is BIN Sponsorship different from ZEN.COM's co-branded cards?

  With co-branded cards, you partner with ZEN.COM to offer ZEN.COM's existing card product to your users. The card is fundamentally a ZEN.COM card with your branding on it. With BIN Sponsorship, you own the card programme: you define the product, the rules, the user experience, and the business logic. The card lives inside your application, not ours. ZEN.COM provides the regulatory and network infrastructure, but the programme is built to your specifications.