Issuer is an entity that issues payment cards or supports issuing services, including issuing banks and issuing processors.

Issuer is an entity that issues payment cards or supports issuing services, including issuing banks and issuing processors.

• A. The merchant that issues payment cards.
• B. The payment processor that settles transactions.
• C. An entity that issues payment cards or supports issuing services including issuing banks and issuing processors.
• D. The cardholder.

Answer: (C)

In card payment ecosystems, the issuer is any entity that issues payment cards or provides issuing services, including issuing banks and issuing processors. This is the best description because it covers both traditional card-issuing banks and specialized processors that support card issuance and management, such as provisioning, personalization, and account controls. The other options don’t fit: a merchant doesn’t issue cards, a processor that settles transactions handles processing and settlement rather than issuing, and the cardholder is the user of the card, not the issuer.

In card payment ecosystems, the issuer is any entity that issues payment cards or provides issuing services, including issuing banks and issuing processors. This is the best description because it covers both traditional card-issuing banks and specialized processors that support card issuance and management, such as provisioning, personalization, and account controls. The other options don’t fit: a merchant doesn’t issue cards, a processor that settles transactions handles processing and settlement rather than issuing, and the cardholder is the user of the card, not the issuer.