Card-issuing rail · 1 card
What is Contis?
Contis (UAB Finansinės paslaugos 'Contis') is a UK/Lithuanian e-money institution that for years was the actual issuer behind Wirex's European card programme — the classic example of the invisible rail behind a consumer crypto card.
Bank of Lithuania EMI; FCA-registered UK entity1 card on this rail
Same-rail KYC: if you've already completed identity verification on one card powered by Contis, onboarding another card on the same rail is usually lighter — the compliance record sits with the issuer, not the app.
Crypto cards powered by Contis
Every card in our database issued on this rail — including ones you'd never guess share the same back-end.
Pros of Contis
- Long crypto-card track record — issued Wirex EU cards for years
- Dual UK/EEA coverage
- Mature programme-management infrastructure
Cons of Contis
- Programmes on the rail share similar fee structures
- Issuer-level outages affect every card on the rail at once
- Opaque to cardholders — no direct consumer relationship
Frequently asked questions
- What is Contis?
- Contis is the regulated entity that actually issues the card — it provides the banking licence, BIN range and settlement plumbing while the crypto brand supplies the app and funding mechanism. If your card "just works", it's Contis doing the regulated part.
- If I did KYC on one Contis card, is it faster on another?
- Often yes — the compliance record lives with the issuer, so onboarding a second card on the same rail is frequently lighter-touch than starting fresh on a different one. Approval is never guaranteed, but the prior relationship helps.
- What happens if Contis loses its licence or goes down?
- Every card on the rail is affected at once — that's the hidden concentration risk of shared infrastructure. If a rail stops operating, partner programmes usually migrate cardholders to a replacement issuer, but there can be an interruption.
- Are cards on the same rail identical?
- No. The rail supplies the licence and the plumbing; the front-end brand decides fees, limits, rewards and KYC depth. Two cards on Contis can have very different terms — compare the cards, not just the issuer.