Category Finalists 2026
As we celebrate the 1st Edition of The Card & Payments Awards USA, here is the shortlist for 2026.
AcceptIQ by FlexFactor: AI-Powered Decline Decisioning for Real-Time Payment Recovery

FlexFactor’s AI-native AcceptIQ platform combines a proprietary Decline Foundation Model with coordinated payment intelligence engines to evaluate transaction, issuer, merchant, MID, and routing signals in real time, enabling eligible false declines to be reversed before customers experience a failed payment.
AI as Proactive Fraud Fighter: Sonar & Rules Assist by CPI in Partnership with Rippleshot

CPI, together with Rippleshot, offers financial institutions a fraud intelligence platform powered by AI and machine learning to help financial teams move from reactive fraud management to proactive fraud prevention.
Ask Global Payments Solutions (AskGPS)

AskGPS is an enterprise-grade, in-house generative AI platform delivering authoritative treasury and payments intelligence at scale. It compresses research from hours to seconds, unlocks material productivity gains, elevates client engagement, and embeds governed, compliant AI directly into daily workflows— representing a step-change in how financial institutions operationalize intelligence.
DataVisor Real-time Adaptive AI Decisioning Platform for Fraud & AML
DataVisor helps financial institutions and payment providers prevent fraud and financial crime in real time by combining machine learning, graph analysis, regulatory reporting, case management, and embedded AI agents in one unified platform across cards, ACH, RTP, P2P, wallets, and other digital payment flows.
Pagos AI & MCP Server: Conversational Access to investigate Verified Payments Data

Pagos AI and the Pagos MCP Server bring conversational access to Pagos’s payments intelligence. Payment teams ask plain-language questions to investigate performance in Pagos, or connect MCP to Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini. Complex payments questions get answered without dashboards or expertise, like having world-class payments experts on call 24/7.
Breaking Through: Citi’s Premium Card Reentry

Citi Strata Elite reimagines premium rewards by combining one of the market’s highest earn rates with a simpler, more flexible customer experience. Purpose built around how consumers travel, dine, and live today, the card introduces innovative rewards, premium benefits, and differentiated experiences that raise the bar for modern payments.
Chime Card: Fee-Free Premium Rewards for Everyday Americans

Debit Plus: Reinventing Debit Loyalty for America's Largest Credit Union

Debit Plus is Navy Federal Credit Union’s first-of-its-kind debit loyalty program. It recognizes members who consistently choose their NFCU Visa debit card, averaging 90+ eligible monthly transactions over four consecutive months, with premium card design, curated experiences, merchant-funded offers, and enhanced protections that go far beyond points or cashback.
Engage People: Transforming Loyalty into Real-Time Financial Value

Engage People’s Access Plus and Engage AI solutions bridge the gap between static loyalty programs and real-time commerce, enabling consumers to use rewards as instant payment currency and manage accounts through intuitive, conversational AI experiences.
Breaking Through: Citi’s Premium Card Reentry

Chime Card: Fee-Free Premium Rewards for Everyday Americans

Chime Card makes fee-free banking with Chime even more rewarding. With no annual fee, no credit check, and no minimum deposit, Chime members can safely build their credit while also earning 2% cash back on rotating categories for Chime Plus members, and 5% cash back through Chime Prime
Gemini Bitcoin Credit Card

The Gemini Bitcoin Credit Card, issued by WebBank, transformed a credit card into a celebration of Bitcoin culture. Featuring a distinctive physical and digital card design, it allows cardholders to earn instant Bitcoin rewards on every purchase, combining innovative design with a uniquely crypto-native customer experience.
DMaple: Modern Cross-Border Payments for International Businesses

DMaple is a Canadian payment platform that helps businesses manage global payouts using stablecoin infrastructure. The platform enables faster, more transparent, and cost-efficient cross-border payments with recipient verification, payment tracking, and accounting-ready reporting.
Remitly: Real-Time, Multi-Rail Cross-Border Payments and an All-in-One Financial Platform

Remitly moves money to 170+ countries through a proprietary, real-time network: 254 million transfers a year (~$86B run-rate). Customers get choice on both sides: fund by card, bank, or wallet, and pay out to bank, cash, or mobile, making cross-border money movement instant, lowcost, and convenient for immigrant communities.
Velocity: The Start-up Rebuilding Cross-Border Settlement and Treasury with Regulated Stablecoins

AcceptIQ by FlexFactor: Protecting the Critical Moment Customers Choose to Buy

Deluxe Merchant Services - Customer Care

Ecrypt: Combining AI and Human Support for the Best Customer Experience

Global Customer Delivery & Care Transformation
AcceptIQ by FlexFactor: The Missing Real-Time Decline Decisioning Layer in Payments

SafeToBuy – Fraud Prevention at the Moment of Purchase

The Start-up Bringing Established Financial Institutions On-Chain

AcceptIQ by FlexFactor: Reinventing Payment Decline Recovery During the Authorization Moment

Advancing Agentic Commerce Through Trusted Identity

Driving Digital Payment Innovation with PaysafeWallet

Mastercard Threat Intelligence

Payments Monitoring and Alerting: Cost Health & BIN Benchmark

Agent Connect Event

Gemini: Best Marketing Campaign

Go Beyond: Member Giveback

KeyBank B2B Expansion Markets Integrated Payments Campaign
Transforming SMB Growth Through Data-Driven Paid Media

AcceptIQ by FlexFactor: Real-Time Decline Decisioning at the Point of Transaction

Deluxe Payments Platform

FlightGuard by Elavon: Real-Time Ticket Suspension and Chargeback Recovery for Airlines

Form3 U.S. Financial Fabric

PayMitto - embedded, full stack money movement enablement partner empowering U.S. financial institutions

SWIVEL’s Payment Solutions

AcceptIQ by FlexFactor: Real-Time Decline Decisioning at the Point of Sale

Genius by Global Payments: A Unified POS Platform at Scale

Ingenico: Powering enterprise payment transformation at scale

Drop Band

Expanding Access to the Digital Economy

InComm Healthcare's Dual Network Benefit Card

Netspend

Drop Band Best in Product

The Modern business credit card combining patriotic design, crypto rewards, and digital convenience.

Adaptive Behavioral analytics help Frost Bank detect fraud and reduce false positives

Chargebacks911: Stopping Organized Fraud Through Post-Transaction Intelligence and Automation

Charm Security: The Agentic Workforce for Fraud and Cybercrime

Proactive Data Breach ID

Business Select at RBFCU

Customer Care Performance Team (CCPT)
Deluxe Merchant Services

Embedded Payments for the Modern Enterprise: Service Excellence Through Advanced Payment Technology

Ramp: The financial operations platform that helps businesses save time and money

Chargebacks911: One API Connecting Every Dispute Across Every Payment Provider

Mastercard: Cardholder Services and B2C Customer Care – Global Services product transformation & optimization
One Platform for Embedded, Omnichannel Payment Enablement

SinglePoint Modernization: Technology Integration that Simplifies and Strengthens the Client Experience

TNS Payments Market: Continued Innovation, Integration and Interoperability

CPI Supports Street Charity® with a Groundbreaking Payment Solution to Combat Hunger

Credit One Bank® Supports Nonprofits with “One For The Community” Program

MAJORITY - Changing Lives in the Community

Small Business, Big Ambition®

Where Goals Begin: Turning Global Soccer Momentum into Opportunity that Endures

Advancing Financial Inclusion Through eCash Innovation

Imagine Credit Card: Expanding Access to Responsible Credit

Merrick Bank: Financial Inclusion — The Heart and Soul of Our Business

Opportunity Knocks: Scaling Financial Inclusion Through National Media, Community Action, and Partnerships

Small Business, Big Ambition ®
