Paysera Group Achieves Full Card Independence as Contis Secures Direct Visa Principal Membership

February 2026 • 3 min

Lithuania-based fintech group Paysera has reached a major strategic milestone: its group member UAB "Finansinės paslaugos Contis", a European electronic money institution regulated by the Bank of Lithuania, has obtained direct Visa Principal Member status. The company now participates directly in the Visa network and independently manages the entire card issuance lifecycle -- from card creation to transaction settlement.

Full Control of Card Programme

Until now, Contis operated as an associate Visa member, relying on a third-party sponsor to issue cards. With Principal Member status, the Paysera group now controls the full card issuance value chain independently. Critically, the group also becomes eligible to act as a Visa sponsor -- enabling other European fintech companies to access the Visa network through Paysera's infrastructure. The entire licensing process was completed in under a year.

"Direct Visa membership is a natural result of our strategy. A year ago, we acquired Contis to safeguard 165,000 client cards that were at risk. Today, we have gone from crisis response to full independence -- managing the entire card issuance chain on our own terms. This positions us to build better products for clients across Europe," states Justina Sidlauskiene, CEO of Paysera.

Growth of Digital Cards

The timing is significant as demand for digital payment cards accelerates across Europe. In December 2025, Paysera launched digital Visa cards that are issued within minutes and work instantly with Apple Pay and Google Pay. Client response has been strong: more than 20,000 digital cards were ordered in less than two months.

The Paysera group currently serves approximately 160,000 active cardholders across the European Economic Area (EEA) through Contis.

"Controlling the full card stack gives us the speed and flexibility to innovate. We can now roll out new card features, adjust pricing, and respond to client needs without third-party dependencies. The rapid uptake of our digital cards confirms there is strong demand for what we are building," adds Zydrune Putelyte, Deputy CEO of Paysera.