Kulipa

Kulipa is a next-generation crypto payment card issuing platform that enables crypto wallets and fintech applications to launch their own branded debit and prepaid payment cards powered by stablecoins. Founded by Axel Cateland, a former Mastercard and Spendesk executive, the company raised a $3M seed round in April 2024 from White Star Capital and Fabric Ventures. Kulipa is a member of the Mastercard Crypto Partner Program.

Core Products

Kulipa provides a comprehensive card-as-a-service infrastructure that allows crypto wallets to issue physical, virtual, and digital payment cards accepted at over 37 million merchant locations across 210 countries. The platform supports both debit cards (which access user wallet balances directly without pre-funding) and prepaid cards (where users load funds into a custodial wallet). All cards work wherever Visa and Mastercard are accepted, and the platform includes Apple Pay and Google Pay integration for mobile-first experiences.

The platform's API enables a single on-chain transaction with no off-ramps or swaps required, providing a seamless developer experience. Kulipa covers gas costs across any blockchain network and supports multiple wallet infrastructures including Externally Owned Accounts, Account Abstraction, and Multi-Party Computation.

Key Strengths

Kulipa differentiates itself through its multichain compatibility, white-label customization, and frictionless integration model. The debit card product eliminates the friction of traditional prepaid models by allowing users to spend directly from their wallets. The platform handles compliance, fraud detection, and third-party integrations on behalf of clients, significantly reducing time-to-market for card programs.

The team brings deep expertise from major technology and financial companies including Google, Mastercard, Amazon, Meta, Binance, and Bitso. CTO Michael Shynar previously led the WhatsApp Commerce Platform at Google for 8 years.

Notable Clients

Kulipa serves prominent Web3 companies including Argent, Ready, Privy, Solflare, Beans, and Request Network. The platform supports USDC, wrapped versions, and Paxos stablecoins across EVM chains, Layer 2 networks, and Solana.

Why Choose Kulipa

Kulipa offers the fastest path to launching a crypto card program with highly affordable implementation costs. Their end-to-end solution includes card issuance, compliance management, fraud prevention, an admin dashboard, and developer-friendly APIs, allowing wallet providers to focus on their core product while Kulipa handles the payment infrastructure. The company's mission is to grow financial inclusivity worldwide by making crypto wallets and stablecoins mainstream, with a particular focus on emerging markets and the 1.5 billion under-banked people globally.