CPI Card Group Inc. and Fiserv Announce Strategic Alliance to Modernize Instant Card Issuance and Deliver Unified Physical and Digital Payment Experiences for Financial Institutions

DENVER — April 16, 2026

Executive Summary

CPI Card Group Inc. and Fiserv have announced a strategic alliance designed to deliver advanced instant issuance capabilities to financial institutions across the United States. The collaboration integrates CPI’s market-leading SaaS platform, Card@Once®, into Fiserv’s ecosystem, enabling banks and credit unions to issue physical and digital payment cards simultaneously through a unified experience. The initiative reflects CPI’s ongoing unified payments issuance strategy, combining digital and physical card solutions through seamless integrations. The partnership also establishes CPI as a strategic instant issuance partner for Fiserv’s network of more than 10,000 financial institutions, while supporting simplified deployment, operational efficiency, and enhanced customer engagement across issuance channels.

Announcement Overview

The newly announced alliance between CPI Card Group Inc. and Fiserv represents a coordinated effort to modernize and simplify instant card issuance for financial institutions. The collaboration centers on integrating CPI’s Card@Once® SaaS-based issuance platform directly into Fiserv’s extensive financial services ecosystem, providing institutions with access to enhanced issuance capabilities through their existing processing and core banking relationships.

This initiative builds on an existing relationship between the two companies and expands it into a more comprehensive strategic alignment, focused on delivering technology-driven issuance solutions. By embedding CPI’s platform into Fiserv’s infrastructure, financial institutions gain the ability to deploy issuance capabilities without requiring additional system complexity or infrastructure changes.

The alliance also supports CPI’s broader objective of advancing a unified payments issuance strategy, enabling financial institutions to manage both physical and digital card issuance through a single, integrated solution. This approach allows institutions to align issuance processes with evolving customer expectations for real-time, seamless access to payment credentials across both physical and digital environments.

Key Announcement Details

Alliance Identity and Announcement Context

• Announcement Type: Strategic alliance to modernize and simplify instant issuance for financial institutions
• Announcement Date: April 16, 2026
• Announcement Location: Denver, Colorado, United States
• Companies Announcing: CPI Card Group Inc. and Fiserv, Inc.
• Stock Exchange Listings: CPI Card Group Inc. (Nasdaq: PMTS) and Fiserv, Inc. (Nasdaq: FISV)
• Alliance Nature: Strategic alliance expanding an existing and longstanding relationship
• Alliance Description: Collaboration to bring advanced instant issuance capabilities to financial institutions
• Service Positioning Statement: Card@Once® partnered with Fiserv delivers enhanced service combining CPI’s market-leading SaaS solution with CPI as a preferred partner
• Strategic Intent: Simplify and modernize instant issuance across financial institutions

Core Solution and Platform Integration

• Primary Platform: Card@Once® instant issuance solution
• Platform Type: Software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform
• Platform Ownership: Developed and operated by CPI Card Group Inc.
• Integration Environment: Embedded within Fiserv’s customer ecosystem
• Integration Objective: Provide seamless access to instant issuance capabilities through existing banking infrastructure
• Platform Positioning: Market-leading SaaS solution for instant issuance
• Platform Functionality: Enables issuance of both physical and digital payment cards
• Technology Integration Approach: Integration through financial institutions’ preferred core or payment processing providers
• Platform Delivery Model: Cloud-enabled SaaS delivery without local infrastructure requirements
• Operational Management: CPI responsible for platform maintenance and program setup

Unified Payments Issuance Strategy

• Strategic Initiative: Advancement of CPI’s unified payments issuance strategy
• Strategy Objective: Combine digital and physical card issuance into a single platform
• Technology Foundation: Proprietary CPI technology platform
• Integration Scope: Supports integration across multiple banking systems and processors
• Access Model: Financial institutions access issuance capabilities via preferred providers
• Strategic Direction: Expand unified issuance capabilities through technology integrations
• Platform Goal: Deliver seamless and unified issuance experiences across all channels

Instant Issuance Functional Capabilities

• Issuance Capability: Instant issuance of payment cards
• Card Formats Supported: Physical cards and digital cards
• Simultaneous Delivery: Consumers receive physical cards in-branch while simultaneously receiving digital cards in-wallet
• Branch Capability: Physical card issuance at financial institution branches
• Digital Capability: Digital card provisioning into mobile wallets
• Customer Experience Objective: Deliver seamless and unified issuance experience
• Issuance Channels: In-branch issuance and digital wallet issuance
• Customer Outcome: Immediate access to payment credentials
• Experience Alignment: Consistent customer experience across physical and digital channels

Integration and Deployment Capabilities

• Integration Method: Plug-and-play integration through Fiserv platform
• Deployment Model: SaaS-based deployment with no on-premise installation required
• Implementation Complexity: Streamlined implementation process
• Digital Integration Scope: Expanded integrations with mobile applications and digital banking platforms
• Customer Experience Integration: Unified experience across all issuance channels
• Operational Accessibility: Accessible through existing banking and payment infrastructure
• Infrastructure Requirement: No local hardware or software installation required

Operational and Cost Structure

• Cost Model: Cost-effective SaaS-based solution
• Capital Expenditure Requirement: No on-premise infrastructure investment required
• Maintenance Responsibility: Managed entirely by CPI
• Program Setup Responsibility: Managed by CPI
• Operational Efficiency: Simplified operations for financial institutions
• Implementation Efficiency: Reduced implementation time and complexity
• Scalability: Supports scaling without additional infrastructure investment

Strategic Technology Characteristics

• Architecture Model: API-driven platform architecture
• Infrastructure Model: Cloud-enabled technology platform
• Platform Flexibility: Processor-agnostic, core-agnostic, and mobile-agnostic
• Security Capability: Secure issuance for both physical and digital payment cards
• Technology Objective: Deliver flexible and scalable issuance capabilities
• Innovation Focus: Enable modern, integrated payment issuance experiences
• Compatibility Scope: Integration across diverse financial institution technology environments

Customer Experience and Engagement Outcomes

• Customer Experience Goal: Seamless, unified issuance experience
• Engagement Objective: Help financial institutions drive greater customer engagement
• Consumer Demand Alignment: Meet demand for integrated physical and digital payment experiences
• Service Delivery Outcome: Immediate access to payment cards upon issuance
• Experience Consistency: Uniform experience across physical and digital channels
• Customer Interaction Channels: Branch and digital wallet environments
• User Benefit: Convenience and immediacy in accessing payment credentials

Ecosystem Reach and Institutional Coverage

• Fiserv Ecosystem Size: More than 10,000 financial institutions
• Target Institutions: Banks and credit unions across the United States
• Deployment Geography: United States
• Customer Segments Served: Financial institutions, processors, fintech companies, prepaid program managers
• Ecosystem Role: CPI integrated as a strategic partner within Fiserv network
• Market Coverage: Nationwide reach through Fiserv’s client base

Strategic Partnership Positioning

• Partnership Classification: Strategic partner designation for CPI within Fiserv ecosystem
• Relationship Background: Longstanding collaboration between CPI and Fiserv
• Partnership Objective: Simplify and modernize instant issuance capabilities
• Collaboration Scope: Integration of CPI platform with Fiserv infrastructure
• Strategic Alignment: Alignment of CPI’s issuance platform with Fiserv’s banking ecosystem
• Market Positioning: Collaboration between two market-leading organizations

Migration and Transition Framework

• Solution Replacement: Card@Once replaces Fiserv’s existing instant issuance solutions
• Migration Responsibility: Joint effort between CPI and Fiserv
• Migration Objective: Transition financial institutions to CPI’s platform
• Onboarding Approach: Streamlined onboarding process
• Implementation Support: Dedicated project and account management teams
• Support Availability: 24/7 U.S.-based real-time support
• System Alignment: Integration aligned with Fiserv’s core processing platforms
• Operational Continuity: Maintained during transition process

Leadership Statement Details

• Executive Speaker: John Lowe
• Executive Role: President and Chief Executive Officer of CPI Card Group Inc.
• Statement Context: Announcement of partnership with Fiserv
• Key Statement Points:
  • Partnership enables delivery of integrated payment solutions
  • Collaboration connects physical and digital payments
  • Supports banks and credit unions in driving customer engagement
  • Focus on delivering seamless and unified issuance experience
• Strategic Emphasis: Long-term growth and enhanced customer experience

CPI Card Group Inc. Corporate Details

• Company Name: CPI Card Group Inc.
• Stock Listing: Nasdaq: PMTS
• Business Classification: Payments technology company
• Core Offerings: Payment cards and related digital solutions
• Market Role: Integral participant in the payments ecosystem
• Customer Base: Thousands of U.S. financial institutions, processors, fintechs, and prepaid program managers
• Platform Capability: Proprietary platform integrating connections, people, and solutions
• Operational Focus: Delivering next-generation payment solutions
• Strategic Direction: Continuous transformation aligned with evolving payment methods
• Industry Experience: Decades of investment in building connections and flexible solutions

Fiserv Corporate Details

• Company Name: Fiserv, Inc.
• Stock Listing: Nasdaq: FISV
• Corporate Classification: Fortune 500 company
• Industry Role: Global leader in payments and financial technology
• Core Capabilities:
  • Account processing and digital banking solutions
  • Card issuer processing and network services
  • Payments and e-commerce solutions
  • Merchant acquiring and processing
• Product Platform: Clover® point-of-sale and business management platform
• Index Membership: S&P 500® Index
• Industry Recognition:
  • TIME Magazine’s Most Influential Companies™
  • Fortune® World’s Most Admired Companies™
• Operational Scope: Supports financial institutions and businesses globally

Branding, Messaging, and Value Proposition

• Solution Branding Phrase: Card@Once® partnered with Fiserv
• Value Proposition Statement: Enhanced service combining CPI’s SaaS solution with preferred partner positioning
• Experience Messaging: Seamless, unified issuance experience
• Strategic Messaging: Connecting physical and digital payments
• Customer-Centric Focus: Delivering integrated payment experiences demanded by consumers
• Service Enhancement Goal: Provide advanced issuance capabilities to financial institutions

Strategic Outcomes and Milestones

• Milestone Classification: Significant milestone in CPI’s digital issuance strategy
• Strategic Outcome: Expansion of unified payments issuance capabilities
• Operational Outcome: Simplified and modernized issuance processes
• Technology Outcome: Deployment of API-driven, cloud-enabled issuance platform
• Market Outcome: Broader access to issuance capabilities for financial institutions
• Customer Outcome: Enhanced access to seamless payment experiences
• Partnership Outcome: Strengthened collaboration between CPI and Fiserv
• Implementation Outcome: Structured migration and support framework for financial institutions

Expansion of Unified Payments Issuance Strategy

CPI’s Integrated Platform Approach

CPI continues to expand its proprietary technology platform, which combines digital and physical payment card offerings into a unified issuance environment. This platform is designed to operate through technology integrations that enable financial institutions to access issuance solutions via their preferred core banking systems or payment processing providers.

The integration with Fiserv strengthens this strategy by extending CPI’s platform reach into one of the largest financial institution ecosystems in the United States. Through this collaboration, financial institutions can adopt issuance capabilities that are aligned with their existing operational infrastructure while benefiting from CPI’s SaaS-based delivery model.

Technology Integration and Accessibility

The alliance emphasizes ease of access and deployment, allowing financial institutions to integrate issuance capabilities without requiring on-premise installations or complex system modifications. CPI’s cloud-based infrastructure supports streamlined implementation while ensuring that ongoing maintenance, updates, and operational support are managed centrally.

This approach enables institutions to focus on delivering customer-facing services, while CPI manages the technical and operational aspects of the issuance platform.

Card@Once® Platform Capabilities and Benefits

Integrated Issuance Functionality

The Card@Once® platform, when combined with Fiserv’s infrastructure, delivers a set of capabilities that enable financial institutions to manage issuance across multiple channels. The platform supports both in-branch physical card issuance and instant digital card provisioning, ensuring that customers can access their payment credentials immediately.

Key Functional Benefits

• Plug-and-play integration through the Fiserv platform, enabling rapid deployment
• Simultaneous issuance of physical and digital cards, allowing customers to receive a physical card in-branch while accessing a digital card in their mobile wallet
• Expanded mobile app and digital banking integrations, ensuring a consistent customer experience across channels
• SaaS-based delivery model, eliminating the need for on-premise software installations
• Centralized management of maintenance and program setup, handled by CPI

These capabilities collectively support a streamlined issuance process, reducing complexity for financial institutions while enabling faster service delivery to end users.

Modernization of Instant Issuance for Financial Institutions

Simplification of Issuance Workflows

The alliance is designed to simplify the operational processes associated with instant issuance, allowing financial institutions to deploy solutions that are aligned with modern banking expectations. By integrating CPI’s platform into Fiserv’s ecosystem, institutions can access issuance capabilities through familiar interfaces and workflows.

Unified Customer Experience

A central focus of the collaboration is delivering a unified issuance experience that connects physical and digital payment channels. This approach ensures that customers can transition seamlessly between card formats, supporting consistent usage across in-person and digital payment environments.

Enhanced Customer Engagement

According to the companies, the integration of physical and digital issuance capabilities enables financial institutions to drive greater customer engagement by providing immediate access to payment tools. This capability supports customer expectations for instant access and convenience, particularly in digital banking environments.

Leadership Commentary

John Lowe, President and Chief Executive Officer of CPI Card Group Inc., stated:

“We are excited to partner with Fiserv to provide our market-leading integrated payment solutions to thousands of U.S. financial institutions. Together with Fiserv, we’re connecting physical and digital payments to help banks and credit unions drive greater customer engagement by delivering the seamless, unified issuance experience consumers demand.”

This statement reflects the company’s emphasis on integration, customer engagement, and unified issuance experiences as key components of the partnership.

Strategic Significance of the Alliance

Expansion of Existing Relationship

The alliance represents an expansion of a longstanding relationship between CPI and Fiserv, extending collaboration into a more comprehensive partnership focused on instant issuance modernization. The companies have aligned their capabilities to deliver a solution that integrates CPI’s issuance platform with Fiserv’s processing and banking infrastructure.

Positioning CPI as a Strategic Partner

Through this collaboration, CPI is positioned as a strategic partner for instant issuance solutions within Fiserv’s ecosystem. This designation reflects the integration of CPI’s platform into Fiserv’s offerings and its role in supporting issuance capabilities for a large network of financial institutions.

Support for Digital Issuance Strategy

The initiative also marks a significant milestone in CPI’s digital issuance strategy, which is centered on delivering API-driven, cloud-enabled platforms. These platforms are designed to be:

• Processor-agnostic
• Core system-agnostic
• Mobile platform-agnostic

This flexibility enables financial institutions to adopt issuance solutions that align with their existing technology environments while maintaining the ability to scale and evolve over time.

Migration and Implementation for Fiserv Financial Institutions

Replacement of Existing Solutions

As part of the alliance, Card@Once® will replace Fiserv’s current instant issuance solutions. This transition is designed to provide financial institutions with access to enhanced capabilities through a modernized platform.

Structured Migration Approach

CPI and Fiserv will collaborate to facilitate the migration process, ensuring a structured and coordinated transition for financial institutions. The implementation framework includes:

• Streamlined onboarding processes
• Dedicated project and account management teams
• 24/7 U.S.-based, real-time support
• Alignment with Fiserv’s core processing platforms

This approach is intended to ensure continuity of operations while enabling institutions to adopt the new issuance platform efficiently.

Technology Architecture and Platform Design

API-Driven Infrastructure

CPI’s platform is built on an API-driven architecture, enabling seamless integration with external systems and supporting flexible deployment across different environments. This design allows financial institutions to integrate issuance capabilities into their existing digital banking and payment systems.

Cloud-Enabled Delivery

The platform’s cloud-based delivery model ensures scalability and reliability, supporting the needs of financial institutions as they expand their issuance capabilities. The SaaS model also allows for continuous updates and enhancements without requiring manual intervention from client institutions.

Secure and Flexible Issuance Capabilities

The solution is designed to deliver secure and flexible issuance capabilities, supporting both physical and digital card formats. This dual capability enables financial institutions to meet diverse customer needs while maintaining consistent operational processes.

About CPI Card Group Inc.

CPI Card Group Inc. is a payments technology company that provides a comprehensive range of payment cards and related digital solutions. The company serves a broad and expanding customer base, including thousands of U.S. financial institutions, processors, fintech companies, and prepaid program managers.

CPI’s platform and expertise are designed to support the evolving needs of the payments ecosystem, enabling customers to deliver payment solutions across a variety of channels. The company has invested over decades in building flexible solutions and strong customer relationships, positioning it to support current and future payment methods as the market evolves.

Its proprietary platform integrates connections, people, and solutions to enable payments across a wide range of applications, supporting both traditional and emerging financial services use cases.

About Fiserv

Fiserv is a global provider of payments and financial technology solutions, serving clients across banking, payments, and commerce sectors. The company delivers services across areas including:

• Account processing and digital banking solutions
• Card issuer processing and network services
• Payments and e-commerce solutions
• Merchant acquiring and processing

Fiserv is also associated with Clover®, a point-of-sale and business management platform used by merchants worldwide. The company is a Fortune 500 organization, a member of the S&P 500® Index, and has been recognized among TIME Magazine’s Most Influential Companies™ and Fortune® World’s Most Admired Companies™.

Through its technology and service offerings, Fiserv supports financial institutions and businesses in delivering payment experiences across a wide range of customer interactions.

Media Contact

For additional information, visit cpicardgroup.com.

Source Attribution

Source: Company announcement