Best eSIM API for Fintechs and Neobanks in 2026: 9 Providers Compared

In the changing landscape of digital banking, a banking app is no longer just a place to check your balance. Revolut Mobile now runs inside the Revolut app in the UK, N26 sells local mobile plans in Germany and Klarna has rolled out a US phone plan in its own app as well. One might assume these brands built mobile networks of their own. But this is not the case. Each of them uses an eSIM API from a telecom partner, which handles the network while the bank keeps the customer.

For neobanks, the reason is timing. Take a scenario where your cardholder lands in Tokyo. The first thing they usually open is your banking app, either to check their balance or to unlock their card for international use. If a travel eSIM is offered on that very screen, you can sell it with a margin or bundle it into a premium tier. This means your customer gets online without ever leaving your app.

If you are planning to add connectivity to your app, this guide compares 9 eSIM API providers for fintechs and digital banks, along with what each one does well and where it falls short.

What is the best eSIM API for fintechs and neobanks in 2026?

The best eSIM API for fintech depends on three things: what you plan to sell, whose brand your customer should see and how much your developers are willing to build. Here is how the 9 providers line up by use case:

• Zetexa if you want a travel eSIM you can give away with a card or sell inside the app.
• Gigs or 1GLOBAL if you're ready to sell a full monthly phone plan under your own name.
• Firsty if your main worry is customers losing access to the app when they travel. Its sandbox is free, too.
• eSIM Go for travel data now and a UK phone plan later.
• Telna if your engineers want control at the network level.
• eSIM Access for a cheap first test, since there's no minimum order.
• Monty Mobile if you'd like SMS and WhatsApp messaging from the same company.
• CELITECH for card programs built around flight and hotel bookings.

eSIM API providers comparison table

The 9 best eSIM API providers for fintechs, ranked by use case

1. Zetexa: best for travel eSIM as a card perk or in-app product

Zetexa's fintech eSIM API runs entirely under your brand. Unlike many providers in this space, Zetexa holds its own telecom authorizations, including from the FCC (US) and the CRTC (Canada). It is also SOC 2 Type II compliant and connects to 1,000+ networks across 200+ countries. In simple terms, the eSIM works like any other wallet balance in your app. You can give it away with a premium card or sell it, and either way, your customer keeps topping up the same eSIM on every trip. Additionally, lounge access and other travel add-ons are sold through the same API, and neobank Niyo already runs on it.

2. Gigs: best for full phone plans under your brand

Gigs powers Revolut Mobile in the UK, Klarna's US phone plan and travel eSIMs for Nubank. It becomes the regulated mobile operator on your behalf and takes care of billing and customer support as well. This means most of the telecom work stays off your plate. Its security credentials include SOC 2 Type II and PCI DSS, and according to Gigs, a hosted checkout can go live within days. However, pricing is not public, and it is best suited to large brands that want mobile as a recurring business rather than a travel perk.

3. 1GLOBAL: best for European neobanks

1GLOBAL has been working with European banks for quite some time now. Revolut first added 1GLOBAL's eSIM to its app in 2024, and the partnership has since grown into mobile plans in Poland, the Netherlands and Germany. N26 also runs its German plans on 1GLOBAL. The company holds telecom licenses in 40+ countries, works as an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) in 10+ and reaches 190+ countries overall. As it already serves large investment banks, your procurement team will find its due diligence answers familiar. However, smaller fintechs may find its enterprise-style sales cycle a little slow.

4. Firsty: best for keeping your banking app usable abroad

Firsty focuses on one problem and solves it well. Belgian bank Belfius uses Firsty so that its customers can keep using their banking app abroad without paying roaming charges. Developers like it as well, since the sandbox is free, API keys arrive in about a minute and pricing is a flat rate per MB. Crypto wallet Pexx has gone a step further and built its own white-label travel eSIM on the API. However, it is important to note that coverage stops at 176 countries, and Firsty has not published any security certifications so far.

5. eSIM Go: best for UK fintechs

If you are a UK fintech, eSIM Go is worth a closer look. Along with travel data in 190+ countries over 500+ networks, it lets you launch your own UK phone plans on Vodafone through the same integration. Fintech Nomad Global is already a customer, and there is a dedicated offer for wallets and banks too. The company is ISO 27001 certified and most partners go live within weeks. Please note that there is a $10,000 monthly minimum. However, this is not a fee as such, but credit that is spent on the plans you sell.

6. Telna: best for super-apps with strong engineering teams

Telna is a mobile network in its own right, licensed by the FCC and a member of the GSMA (the global body for mobile operators). It reaches 200+ countries through a single API. According to Telna, it distributes more than five million eSIMs every month, and Truecaller's in-app travel eSIM runs on its network. Moreover, your engineers get live monitoring and control at the network level. However, much of Telna's tooling was built with telecom operators in mind rather than app teams. Hence, you should expect a more technical integration.

7. eSIM Access: best for low-risk pilots

If you are not ready to put a big budget behind a new product, eSIM Access is a sensible place to start. There is no minimum order, which makes it a low-risk way to find out whether your customers actually want an eSIM. It is run by Redtea Mobile, whose GSMA-certified provisioning platform is hosted in an EU data center and covers 200+ countries and regions. You can start with a ready-made web store or a white-label app and move to the open API or Android SDK once demand is proven. However, its customers are mostly travel resellers, and there is no named bank among them yet.

8. Monty Mobile: best for eSIM plus messaging

Monty Mobile is a telecom group first, and eSIM is one of its many product lines. Its eSIM Hub can be added through an API, an SDK, a white-label app or a webview, reaches 200+ countries and runs on a GSMA-certified provisioning platform. For a wallet, the real draw is everything else Monty sells, which includes SMS, WhatsApp and RCS messaging along with a fintech business of its own. This means you could get connectivity and messaging from one vendor. However, no neobank has announced an eSIM launch with Monty so far.

9. CELITECH: best for travel-linked card programs

CELITECH is built around one particular moment, which is when someone books a flight or a hotel. Its eSIM API fits into the booking flow, and if your team cannot build yet, a branded landing page does the job in the meantime. The company claims 215+ countries on Tier 1 carriers, runs on a US-hosted platform and counts Alaska Airlines as a partner. Hence, it makes a lot of sense for a travel credit card with its own booking portal, though less so for an everyday banking app. It is also important to note that its certifications are not published.

What should neobanks consider when choosing an eSIM API provider?

• Travel data or phone plans: Offering a travel eSIM to your cardholders is one project, whereas running a full mobile business is a much bigger one. Very few providers do both equally well.
• Whose brand shows: Before signing, ask for screenshots of every screen and email your customer will see. With full white-label, the provider's name does not appear anywhere.
• Billing model: A prepaid wallet, wholesale pricing with your own markup, a revenue share and a monthly minimum all affect your books differently. Hence, it is worth checking with your finance team which model suits you.
• Life after the first trip: Ideally, the eSIM should stay useful. When your customers top up the same eSIM on their next trip, they come back to your app to do it.
• Compliance: It is advised to keep the provider's SOC 2 report or ISO 27001 certificate handy, along with details on where customer data sits and who the sub-processors are. For EU firms, DORA (the Digital Operational Resilience Act) applies as well.
• Support: In your customer's eyes, you are responsible. A traveler stuck at arrivals with no signal will message your team, not the provider. Hence, 24/7 escalation needs to be agreed before launch.

So, which one should you pick?

It is evident that the right choice depends on the job at hand. Gigs and 1GLOBAL have the most bank launches behind them for full phone plans, whereas eSIM Access is the low-cost route to check whether your customers are interested. However, if you want a travel eSIM that works like any other balance in your app, with lounges and other airport services sold through the same API, Zetexa is built for exactly that.

Next step: Choosing the right eSIM API partner is a crucial decision for any fintech. Reach out to us to book a Zetexa demo or read the API docs and see how it would work in your app.

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