Al Etihad Payments has signed a memorandum of understanding with UnionPay International that will allow Jaywan mono-badged cards to be used internationally for the first time, without requiring a co-badged card from a second scheme.
Under the agreement, Jaywan cardholders will be able to make payments at more than 100 million points of sale and withdraw cash at 1.8 million ATMs across 183 countries and regions.
Transactions made outside the UAE will be routed back to the UAE National Switch, operated by Al Etihad Payments. A separate MoU will cover settlement, liquidity, and foreign exchange services.
The MoU was signed at UnionPay International’s headquarters in Shanghai. Al Etihad Payments chairman Saif Humaid Al Dhaheri and China UnionPay chairman Dong Junfeng signed on behalf of their respective organisations.
“The signing of this MoU with UnionPay International represents an important step in supporting the global expansion of the “Jaywan” scheme and enhancing the efficiency of cross-border payments, thereby facilitating trade, tourism and economic cooperation. This collaboration also expands opportunities for the international use of “Jaywan” cards, strengthening the scheme’s position among global payment schemes,” Saif Humaid Al Dhaheri said in a statement.
“The strategic partnership between China and the UAE continues to deepen, driving a growing demand for seamless cross-border payment services in trade and tourism. Building on the MoU on cross-border payments signed by the two central banks in 2025, these agreements will strengthen the global competitiveness and operational resilience of the UAE’s domestic payment brand. Furthermore, this partnership will significantly improve local currency settlement efficiency and support bilateral trade ties,” Dong Junfeng added,
The agreement extends an existing relationship between the two organisations. UAE financial institutions already issue co-badged Jaywan-UnionPay cards, where domestic transactions run through Jaywan and international ones through UnionPay. The new MoU creates a pathway for mono-badged Jaywan cards – those without a second international scheme logo – to work abroad for the first time.
