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Firstcard

Can a BaaS-powered neobank democratize credit access for the credit-invisible — international students, immigrants, and foreigners — in the US?

Founded2020
HQMenlo Park, California, United States
Total raised$7.7M
Latest roundSeed
IndustryFintech / Consumer banking
The story

Founded in 2020, Firstcard targeted an underserved demographic — international students, immigrants, and credit-invisible individuals — with a secured credit builder card requiring no SSN or credit check. The company expanded beyond the card to offer a full banking platform including savings accounts with competitive APY and cashback rewards, effectively becoming a neobank for the credit-invisible. The FDIC-insured deposits are held at Regent Bank, and banking infrastructure is powered by Synctera, indicating a BaaS-stack approach rather than charter-seeking.

Last 12 months
Product timeline
2020
Firstcard Inc. founded in Menlo Park, CA with a mission to democratize credit for underserved populations including international students and immigrants.· banking
2022
Launched Firstcard® Secured Credit Builder Card, a no-credit-check secured card accepting applicants without SSN, targeting international students and immigrants.· card
2023
Expanded product to include FDIC-insured bank account, cashback rewards, and up to 4.00% APY savings via Firstcard Premium, powered by Regent Bank.· banking
The stack
Banking / BaaS
Synctera
Sponsor bank
Regent Bank
Accounting gap: none