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APIs · head to head

Solaris vs Thredd

Solaris logo

Solaris

APIs

German banking as a service with a full banking licence and a live regulatory problem

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Thredd logo

Thredd

APIs

Issuer processing platform for fintechs and digital banks, formerly Global Processing Services

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Solaris baFin appointed a special representative in 2022 and extended the mandate in July 2024, so a partner is joining a bank under active supervisory monitoring, with slower approvals and heavier compliance demands as a direct consequence.; Thredd pricing is entirely unpublished, so cost comparison against competing processors requires a sales process.
  • They diverge on capability: Solaris covers German banking licence, Thredd covers Issuer processing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Solaris and Thredd actually diverge.

Attributes where Solaris and Thredd differ
AttributeSolarisThredd

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), platforms (Web, API), user rating (Not yet rated), category (APIs).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Solaris

  • German banking licence
  • IBAN accounts
  • Card issuing
  • Lending as a service
  • Digital assets and custody
  • SEPA payments
  • KYC and onboarding
  • Deposit protection

Only in Thredd

  • Issuer processing
  • Multi-country reach
  • Scheme certification
  • Programme support across verticals
  • High platform availability
  • Global office footprint

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Solaris

  • A retailer or platform launching a German current account or card product without applying for its own licencenot Thredd
  • A fintech that needs deposit taking and lending, which an e-money licence cannot providenot Thredd
  • A European business needing German IBANs because customers reject foreign IBANs for salary and direct debitnot Thredd
  • A company requiring German statutory deposit protection on customer balances as a product claimnot Thredd

Thredd

  • A digital bank or fintech needing issuer processing across many countries under one contractnot Solaris
  • A BNPL, lending or crypto product needing certified card processing behind its own brandnot Solaris
  • A company that finds outdated Global Processing Services (GPS) material and needs to confirm it is now Threddnot Solaris
  • An embedded finance platform wanting a processor already integrated with core banking systems such as Mambunot Solaris

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Solaris

  • BaFin appointed a special representative in 2022 and extended the mandate in July 2024, so a partner is joining a bank under active supervisory monitoring, with slower approvals and heavier compliance demands as a direct consequence.
  • BaFin fined Solaris EUR 6.5 million in March 2024 for systematically late suspicious activity reports and EUR 500,000 for breaching large exposure limits between January 2022 and March 2024, which is a track record a partner inherits reputationally.
  • Solaris has previously needed BaFin approval before onboarding new corporate clients, which can turn a commercial decision to launch into a regulatory timetable outside your control.
  • The 2024 restructuring involved job cuts and the closure of parts of a business unit, so product lines a partner depends on may not have the engineering behind them that the sales process implies.
  • SBI Holdings acquired majority control in 2025, so strategic direction now sits with a Japanese financial group whose priorities for the European business may differ from the roadmap you were sold.

Thredd

  • Pricing is entirely unpublished, so cost comparison against competing processors requires a sales process.
  • The 2023 rebrand from GPS to Thredd means research under either name alone can miss relevant material, and partner or press references before 2023 will still say GPS.
  • Issuer processing does not include the banking licence itself, so a fintech still needs a separate BIN sponsor or bank partner, adding a second relationship to manage.
  • As shared infrastructure behind many fintech brands, an outage or processing delay at Thredd becomes a simultaneous incident for every programme running on it, with limited visibility for any single customer into root cause.
  • Its verticals span crypto, BNPL and remittance broadly, so depth of specialist support in any one vertical may be thinner than a processor focused narrowly on that niche.

Pricing, plan by plan

Solaris

On request
  • Solaris banking as a service$undefined/year
    • Quoted per partner, typically setup fee plus monthly platform fee
    • Per account, per card and per transaction charges on top
    • Interchange sharing arrangements negotiated per programme

Thredd

On request
  • Thredd$undefined/year
    • Volume and programme-based pricing, not published
    • Custom quote required via sales

Which should you pick?

Choose Solaris if

  • You need german banking licence.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want iban accounts.
Solaris review

Choose Thredd if

  • You need issuer processing.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want multi-country reach.
Thredd review

Questions people ask

Is Solaris or Thredd better?
Neither clearly leads. Solaris starts at On request and Thredd at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Solaris or Thredd?
Solaris starts at On request and Thredd at On request.
Does Solaris or Thredd run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, API, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Solaris best used for?
Solaris is most often used for a retailer or platform launching a german current account or card product without applying for its own licence, a fintech that needs deposit taking and lending, which an e-money licence cannot provide, a european business needing german ibans because customers reject foreign ibans for salary and direct debit, a company requiring german statutory deposit protection on customer balances as a product claim. Of those, a retailer or platform launching a german current account or card product without applying for its own licence and a fintech that needs deposit taking and lending, which an e-money licence cannot provide are not what Thredd is typically brought in for.
What can Solaris do that Thredd cannot?
Solaris covers German banking licence, IBAN accounts, Card issuing, Lending as a service. Thredd covers Issuer processing, Multi-country reach, Scheme certification, Programme support across verticals.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Solaris: Does Solaris have a real banking licence?

Yes. Solaris SE is a German credit institution, which is why it can offer deposits and lending, unlike e-money based competitors.

Thredd: Is Thredd the same company as Global Processing Services?

Yes, GPS rebranded as Thredd in 2023; it is the same company and platform.

Solaris: Is the BaFin action still live?

The special representative appointed in 2022 had the mandate extended in July 2024, and fines were issued in March 2024. Treat supervisory oversight as an active condition in your diligence.

Thredd: Does it hold the banking licence for programmes it processes?

No, Thredd is the issuer processor; a separate bank or BIN sponsor holds the actual issuing licence.

Solaris: Who owns Solaris now?

SBI Holdings of Japan agreed in December 2024 and January 2025 to take a majority stake of over seventy per cent for around EUR 100 million.

Thredd: Is pricing published?

No, it requires a sales conversation.

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