What it actually takes to launch a card programme in the US
Insights from Thredd, Cross River, and Mastercard on regulation, compliance, and building the right partner ecosystem.
The Thredd Team
May 20, 2026
The US payments market is full of opportunity. It is also more complex than even experienced international fintechs expect. State-by-state regulation, a fragmented banking landscape, and compliance requirements that go far beyond what most are used to mean that what works in Europe or APAC doesn't simply translate.
In this session, Thredd's Mandy Sellers sat down with Macarena Valdez from Cross River and Cosku Cobanoglu from Mastercard to cut through the complexity, covering what surprises most companies, what compliance really demands, and how to build a partner ecosystem that gets you to go-live faster.
Three things every international fintech should know before entering the US:
Compliance takes longer than you think. Start earlier than you plan to
Most fintechs underestimate how long compliance readiness takes. A mature programme with US-specific policies in place can get bank approval in 90 days. Build them from scratch and you could be looking at 12 months or more. Getting your compliance team engaged early is the single biggest accelerator.
What worked in your current market will not simply transfer to the US
From the Durbin Amendment to dual network routing requirements for debit and prepaid programmes, the US has rules that don't exist in Europe or APAC. Knowing what they are before you arrive saves time and cost.
Choosing the right partner ecosystem is critical
Choosing a processor, bank sponsor, and network that have worked together before, and that will work collaboratively with you, is one of the most important decisions you'll make. The right partnership alignment can meaningfully accelerate your path to go-live.
Mandy Sellers
VP Account Management, Americas, Thredd
Macarena Valdez
VP Business Development, Cross River
Cosku Cobanoglu
Vice President, Digital Partnerships, Mastercard
Thinking about expanding to the US?
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