Creators have another sign that major financial companies increasingly view them as business owners: Mastercard is helping launch a debit card built specifically for the creator economy.
Manifest Financial announced Thursday that it has partnered with Mastercard on the Manifest Business Debit Mastercard, which combines a business bank account and card with tools for managing creator income, expenses, invoices, taxes, and payments.
The card is intended for creators whose finances can look very different from those of a traditional employee. Instead of receiving one predictable paycheck, creators may earn money through platform payouts, brand partnerships, subscriptions, merchandise, affiliate links, appearances, and other projects. Those payments can arrive at different times, from different companies, and sometimes in different currencies.
Manifest says its platform is designed to bring more of that financial work into one place. Creators can use it to accept payments, access faster payouts, send invoices, monitor expenses and cash flow, prepare for taxes, and manage income from multiple sources. The platform also supports cross-border payments for creators working with international brands, platforms, or audiences.
Because it is a debit card, users spend money held in their Manifest business accounts rather than borrowing through a line of credit. The card is issued by MVB Bank, an FDIC-insured institution, and operates on Mastercard’s network.
Cardholders also receive several existing Mastercard business benefits, including automated merchant discounts through Mastercard Easy Savings, fraud monitoring, identity-theft protection, zero-liability protection for qualifying unauthorized transactions, and access to certain dining, travel, and entertainment experiences.
“Creators are building some of today’s most dynamic small businesses,” Ginger Siegel, Mastercard’s North America small and medium business lead, said in the announcement. “They’re managing customers, cash flow, taxes, global audiences, and multiple income streams often without tools designed for how they work.”
Creators have business problems, too
Financial companies have been laying the groundwork for this pitch for several years as more creators have attempted to turn their audiences into sustainable businesses.
Creators face many of the same costs and administrative responsibilities as other entrepreneurs, but their income can be especially unpredictable. A brand may take weeks or months to pay an invoice, while earnings from livestream gifts, subscriptions, affiliate sales, and platform revenue may follow different payout schedules.
Visa research in April 2026 found that 86 percent of creator-run businesses are self-funded, and 49 percent have experienced late payments. Late payments affect companies working with creators, too: in a 2025 study, 97 percent of marketing and creative agencies encountered them, leading some to postpone or cancel plans for growth.
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Siegel made a similar case in a 2025 Mastercard profile of sports creator Tyler Webb, who turned a teenage football account into a marketing career and later co-founded the sports agency Uncle Charlie.
“Creators transforming their passions into professions need to start thinking of themselves as small businesses,” Siegel said at the time.
That means separating personal and business expenses, setting aside money for taxes, monitoring cash flow, and covering production costs while waiting to get paid — parts of the creator career that rarely appear in the finished TikTok or YouTube video.
Webb put it more plainly: “I don’t think it’s ever been easier to make a career as a creator, but I can’t just fall out of bed, post a video of myself, and I’m a millionaire.”
Mastercard is not the only card company chasing creators
The Manifest card arrives three months after Visa partnered with TikTok on its own creator-focused debit card in the UK.
Announced in April, the TikTok Creator Card is designed for creators who earn money through TikTok LIVE, where viewers can purchase virtual gifts that creators can exchange for income. Those earnings typically arrive in bursts rather than as a regular salary, and the card gives eligible creators faster access to their payouts while helping them separate business and personal spending.
Visa has also explored a partnership with creator financial platform Karat and worked with payments company Lumanu to provide real-time payments to creators and contractors.
Mastercard has developed its own creator efforts beyond the Manifest partnership. Its previous programs have included Business Builder debit and credit cards with small-business resources, educational materials about brand partnerships and business operations, and creator-focused events such as the Mastercard Creator Studio at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The interest from both card networks reflects how far the business surrounding online content has expanded. Adobe estimates that more than 300 million people worldwide identify as creators, while Goldman Sachs projects the creator economy could reach $480 billion by 2027.
That does not mean every person posting online is operating a profitable company. But established creators increasingly employ teams, negotiate contracts, sell products, manage customers, and build businesses that extend well beyond their social media accounts.
Manifest, which publicly launched in April 2025, has expanded its platform across content, music, college athletics, NIL, talent representation, and creative agencies. Its new Mastercard is an attempt to become the account connecting all those different forms of creator income.
“Creators are the next founders,” Manifest co-founder and CEO Michael Cavallaro said.
Creators have spent years being told to treat themselves like businesses. Now, Mastercard and Visa want to make sure they have the cards to match.
