EU CRYPTO CARDS · COMPARISON · LAST VERIFIED
Bitpanda Visa Card vs Gnosis Pay Visa Card: who issues each, and what protects your money?
Both cards run on Visa, but the issuing entity and home regulator differ: Bitpanda is issued out of Malta, Gnosis Pay out of Lithuania. Same network, different legal structure - here is the full comparison of who actually issues each card.
Who issues each card, and where is it regulated?
The single most important difference between two crypto cards is rarely the cashback rate. It is which Electronic Money Institution issues the card and which regulator stands behind it, because that is the entity holding and safeguarding your money under Directive 2009/110/EC. Here is the side by side.
| Issuing entity | Transact Payments Malta Limited | UAB Monavate |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer jurisdiction | Malta | Lithuania |
| Issuer regulator | Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) | Bank of Lithuania (Lietuvos bankas) |
| Card network | Visa | Visa |
| Card type | debit | debit |
| EEA availability | Available to Bitpanda users across the EEA. | Available to EEA residents as a self-custodial Visa debit card settling from an on-chain account. |
| Brand also holds | MiCA spot (profile), MiFID II derivatives (profile) | Card programme only in our register |
Which card's issuer is more strongly regulated?
Both issuers are authorised Electronic Money Institutions under the same EU framework, the E-Money Directive. The difference is the home regulator: Bitpanda is issued out of Malta under the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA), while Gnosis Pay is issued out of Lithuania under the Bank of Lithuania (Lietuvos bankas). Neither is inherently safer; both passport across the EEA. What matters is that the issuer is the named, authorised entity you can find in the EUCLID register.
Which card protects your balance, and how?
Both cards hold your spending balance as electronic money, safeguarded under Article 7 of the E-Money Directive rather than covered by the EUR 100,000 Deposit Guarantee Scheme. That means the balance is segregated or insured by the issuer, not pooled in an industry guarantee fund. The crypto behind the card is a separate exposure to the exchange. Our EMI vs bank protection page sets out the practical difference.
Which card should you actually pick?
We do not rank cards or publish a score. The honest framing is: pick the issuer and regulator you are comfortable with, confirm the card is live in your country, and read the current cashback and fee terms on the issuer's own page, because those change often and are the part most likely to be out of date anywhere else. If Bitpanda or Gnosis Pay also runs your spot trading, the cross-vertical profiles let you check that the same brand's MiCA and MiFID II roles are authorised too.
See each card in full: Bitpanda card and Gnosis Pay card.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Bitpanda card or the Gnosis Pay card available across the whole EEA?
Bitpanda: Available to Bitpanda users across the EEA. Gnosis Pay: Available to EEA residents as a self-custodial Visa debit card settling from an on-chain account. Always confirm your specific country in the issuer's current terms.
Do either of these cards come with bank-style deposit protection?
No. Both hold your balance as safeguarded e-money under the E-Money Directive, which is not the EUR 100,000 Deposit Guarantee Scheme. The safeguarding rule is the functional equivalent, with different mechanics.
Why compare issuers instead of cashback rates?
Cashback rates are promotional and change constantly, and they are widely reported elsewhere. The issuer-to-regulator mapping is the durable, decision-relevant fact and the part most comparison sites get wrong or omit.
Sources cited on this page
- Bitpanda Card product page and cardholder terms (issuer-published)
- MFSA Financial Services Register - search Transact Payments Malta Limited
- Gnosis Pay - Monavate Cardholder Terms (EEA), issuer-published
- Monerium - EURe e-money issuer authorised by the Central Bank of Iceland
- Directive 2009/110/EC (E-Money Directive) - Article 7 safeguarding
- European Banking Authority EUCLID register of EU payment and e-money institutions
Issuer and authorisation facts are verified against primary sources per our methodology. Cashback, fees and country availability are commercial product data that change frequently; read the current card terms before relying on them. Corrections welcome at our contact page.