EST. 2012 CODEGO GROUP LTD · MALTA BANKING AS A SERVICE EU IBAN · 6 COUNTRIES SEPA · SEPA INSTANT · SWIFT PCI DSS CERTIFIED 2025 API FIRST · WEBHOOKS 79 COUNTRIES DEPOSITS MULTI-CURRENCY · EUR · GBP · USD $1.1BN PROCESSED 2025 EST. 2012 CODEGO GROUP LTD · MALTA BANKING AS A SERVICE EU IBAN · 6 COUNTRIES SEPA · SEPA INSTANT · SWIFT PCI DSS CERTIFIED 2025 API FIRST · WEBHOOKS 79 COUNTRIES DEPOSITS MULTI-CURRENCY · EUR · GBP · USD $1.1BN PROCESSED 2025
Codego · Banking infrastructure · est. 2012 Comparison · Vol. XII · Issue 04/2026 ● Live · 12 countries · Malta HQ
CMP

Codego vs Galileo Financial Technologies.
An honest comparison
of card-issuing and banking infrastructure.

Galileo Financial Technologies is a battle-tested US card-processing platform that powers some of the largest neobanks in North America. Codego is a European banking-infrastructure provider offering native EU IBAN issuance, dual-scheme BIN sponsorship, and first-class crypto card support from its Malta headquarters. For teams targeting European markets, Codego's end-to-end programme launch in as little as 15 days is a decisive operational advantage over Galileo's typical 60-to-120-day onboarding cycle.

Talk to Codego Comparison table
01
At a glance

At a glance

  Codego Galileo Financial Technologies
Headquarters Malta, EU Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Founded 2012 2000
Ownership Independent SoFi Technologies (acquired 2020)
Regulatory framework NBB e-money distribution licence; Codego Europe SIA in EMI process; pan-EU passporting US state-licensed; EU presence via third-party partners only
Card schemes Visa and Mastercard — both with direct BIN sponsorship Visa and Mastercard — US-primary; EU limited to partner routes
White-label crypto cards Native — stablecoin and crypto-funded with on-the-fly conversion Not native; available only through partner integrations
EU IBAN issuance Native in 6 countries — SEPA, SEPA Instant, SWIFT None native
Time-to-launch ~15 days (virtual cards day 1, physical cards day 15) 60–120 days (enterprise onboarding)
Self-service portal Yes — full programme configuration Limited; largely managed-service model
Apple Pay / Google Pay Provisioned within 24 hours Supported; provisioning timelines vary by programme
Pricing model Transparent, tiered by volume Enterprise custom contracts; no published pricing
02
Where Codego is the stronger choice

Where Codego is the stronger choice

Native EU infrastructure from day one

Galileo was architected for US payment rails. European fintechs that route through Galileo's partner network inherit an additional layer of contractual, technical, and compliance complexity. Codego's Banking-as-a-Service stack was built inside the EU regulatory perimeter, with direct access to SEPA and SEPA Instant from the outset. That means no intermediary dependencies when settling payments, reconciling accounts, or responding to a regulator. For any programme whose primary cardholders hold European IBANs, the difference is architectural, not cosmetic.

15-day launch versus a 60-to-120-day queue

Galileo's enterprise onboarding is thorough, but it reflects a model built around large US neobanks with months of integration runway. Codego's card-issuing pipeline issues virtual cards on day one and physical cards by day fifteen. For a startup preparing a seed-round demo, a corporate needing expense cards next month, or an existing programme switching processors, a 15-day clock is not a marketing claim — it is a contractual deliverable. Learn more about what that process involves in our card-issuing glossary entry.

First-class crypto and stablecoin card support

Galileo supports crypto-adjacent programmes only through external integrations, which introduces reconciliation friction and counterparty risk. Codego's white-label crypto card product converts stablecoins and cryptocurrencies at the point of transaction with no manual bridging step required. For Web3 companies, crypto-payroll platforms, or exchanges looking to offer a branded spend product, this native conversion layer removes the single largest technical obstacle. The cardholder sees a normal Visa or Mastercard transaction; the complexity is absorbed at the infrastructure level.

EU IBAN issuance across six countries

Galileo has no native IBAN issuance capability in Europe. Codego issues EU IBANs in six countries, supporting SEPA, SEPA Instant, and SWIFT from a single integration. This matters for programmes that need to receive salary credits, hold customer balances, or move money within the eurozone without routing through a correspondent bank. A white-label bank account product built on Codego therefore operates with the same payment reach as a licensed European bank, without requiring the client to hold a banking licence of their own.

Dual-scheme BIN sponsorship under one roof

Many processors hold sponsorship with one scheme and resell the other via a partner, introducing a second contract and a second support queue. Codego holds direct BIN sponsorship with both Visa and Mastercard, meaning a client can launch on either scheme — or both — under a single master services agreement. This is particularly valuable for white-label card programmes that want scheme optionality, or for clients whose end-users have strong regional preferences between the two networks.

Transparent pricing and a self-service portal

Galileo's pricing is negotiated through enterprise sales cycles, with no public rate card. For early-stage companies or lean finance teams, that process can take weeks before a unit-economics model can even be finalised. Codego publishes tiered pricing and provides a self-service portal through which programme managers can configure card limits, spending controls, and fee structures without raising a support ticket. Whether building expense card programmes or gift card products, operational autonomy reduces time-to-revenue and lowers ongoing support overhead.

03
Where Galileo is the stronger choice

Where Galileo is the stronger choice

Honesty matters. There are scenarios where Galileo Financial Technologies is the better answer.

Large-scale US consumer programmes

Galileo's entire platform was optimised for the US market. It powers Chime, Robinhood, MoneyLion, and Revolut's US operations — programmes with tens of millions of cardholders. If your primary market is the United States and you require deep integration with ACH, RTP, and US debit rails at very high transaction volumes, Galileo's decade-long investment in that infrastructure is difficult to match. Codego's strengths lie firmly in the European payments landscape.

Programmes that benefit from the SoFi ecosystem

Since its 2020 acquisition by SoFi, Galileo sits inside a broader financial-services group that includes lending, investment, and personal-finance products. For a fintech seeking deep commercial or technical integration with SoFi's own product suite — or looking to leverage that parent company's brand credibility in the US market — the relationship offers access that an independent European BaaS provider simply cannot replicate.

Established enterprise relationships and US regulatory coverage

Galileo has been in production since 2000 and carries the operational track record and US regulatory relationships that come with that longevity. For a large US financial institution seeking a processor with an audited history of processing billions of transactions under American banking-supervisory frameworks — OCC, FDIC, state money-transmitter licences — Galileo's compliance pedigree in that jurisdiction is well established and independently verified over many years.

04
Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

Q1.Can a European fintech use Galileo directly?
Galileo does serve international clients through its Galileo Pro offering, but European programmes typically access it via regional partner banks or processors rather than through a direct contract. This adds contractual layers, increases settlement latency, and means support queries pass through an intermediary. Codego, by contrast, is a direct EU-licensed provider — meaning your programme agreement, your BIN sponsorship, and your IBAN issuance are all governed under a single relationship with a single regulated entity.
Q2.What does Codego's 15-day launch actually include?
Virtual cards are available from day one of programme approval. Physical card production and fulfilment completes by day fifteen. The 15-day figure covers BIN configuration, card-programme setup, API credential provisioning, Apple Pay and Google Pay tokenisation readiness, and IBAN linkage where required. Clients access programme settings independently through the self-service portal. See our card-issuing product page for a full breakdown of the launch process.
Q3.Does Codego support both Visa and Mastercard on the same programme?
Yes. Codego holds direct BIN sponsorship with both Visa and Mastercard, which means a client can issue on either or both schemes under one master services agreement. Running dual-scheme programmes — for example, issuing Visa cards in one market and Mastercard in another — does not require a second processor contract or a second support relationship. Our BIN sponsorship glossary entry explains how sponsorship arrangements work in practice.
Q4.How does Codego handle crypto-funded card transactions?
Codego's white-label crypto card infrastructure converts stablecoins or cryptocurrencies to fiat at the point of authorisation, in real time. The merchant receives a standard card-scheme settlement in their local currency; the cardholder's crypto balance is debited accordingly. This differs from partner-based approaches, where conversion happens off-card and reconciliation must be managed separately. No additional middleware or third-party custodian is required on the client side.
Q5.What EU countries does Codego issue IBANs in?
Codego issues EU IBANs natively across six countries within its licensed perimeter, supporting SEPA credit transfers, SEPA Instant, and SWIFT for international wires. The specific country list is confirmed during the client onboarding conversation, as programme structure and target market influence which issuing entity is most appropriate. Visit our IBAN issuance glossary page or speak with the team to confirm coverage for your geography.
Q6.Is Codego suitable for large enterprise programmes, or only for startups?
Codego's infrastructure scales from early-stage programmes — where speed-to-market and transparent pricing are paramount — through to high-volume enterprise deployments requiring custom BIN structures, dedicated IBAN ranges, and multi-currency core-banking integration. The self-service portal suits lean teams, while the API layer supports sophisticated programme logic for larger operations. Enterprise clients with specific volume or SLA requirements are handled through a direct commercial conversation via the enquiry form.