“Can a card-issuing GovTech displace cash and voucher payouts as the default disbursement rail for European public-sector programs?”
Publk is a 2023-founded Berlin GovTech focused on replacing cash and voucher disbursements in the German public sector with prepaid Visa card programs. Its flagship SocialCard — issued through secupay AG and Paynetics AD under a joint-controller arrangement — is live in 14 Länder, and the company has extended the same card rails into ProcureCard (procurement) and a general-purpose Publ°k Visa Card for universities, NGOs and businesses.
Publk discloses Paynetics AD as its banking provider, according to the Embedded Finance Index 2026.
Publk does not disclose a bank charter of its own; its banking services are provided through Paynetics AD.
Publk processes payments through secupay AG and Paynetics AD.
Publk's cards are issued through Paynetics AD on the Visa network.
The Embedded Finance Index 2026 maps 4 layers in Publk's stack: Payments / PSP (secupay AG and Paynetics AD); Banking / BaaS (Paynetics AD); Card issuing (Paynetics AD); Card network (Visa).
Publk is founded in 2023 and headquartered in Berlin, Germany.
Get a read on where your own stack stands against Publk and the rest of its category — what they built versus bought, which providers they use, and where the gaps in your own strategy and competitive set actually are.