The UAE launched its first national card scheme on 20 July 2026, and commercial banks rolled out live cards within days. Al Etihad Payments, a subsidiary of the Central Bank of the UAE, now runs Jaywan — a domestic payments rail that clears inside the country. For businesses and residents, this is the start of a real alternative for how cards move money in the UAE.
What is Jaywan and who is behind it
The Jaywan UAE national payment card scheme is operated by Al Etihad Payments, the CBUAE subsidiary set up to build sovereign payments infrastructure. On 20 July 2026, His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan — Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Presidential Court and Chairman of the Central Bank of the UAE — formally inaugurated the scheme, according to the CBUAE press release. The mandate set by the Central Bank is straightforward: a domestic rail for card payments that keeps clearing, settlement and transaction data inside the country while remaining interoperable with global networks.
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed described the launch as a milestone for the country's financial infrastructure. Al Etihad Payments confirmed that the scheme will onboard banks, licensed financial institutions and exchange houses in phases.
Which UAE banks are issuing Jaywan cards
Two banks moved first. On 20 July, First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) introduced the Jaywan Debit Card for retail customers. Existing FAB clients can request the card through the FAB Mobile app or at any branch; Elite and Private Banking clients go through their relationship manager. The card ships with Chip and PIN, contactless, digital wallet tokenization and 3D Secure for online transactions.
"The Jaywan Debit Card reflects FAB's commitment to delivering secure, innovative and customer-focused payment solutions," said Futoon Al Mazrouei, Group Head of Personal, Wealth and Business Banking at FAB.
A day later, Commercial Bank of Dubai (CBD) launched the Jaywan Prepaid Card for its retail base. "Through the Jaywan prepaid cards, we aim to provide secure, efficient, and accessible payment solutions," said Aisha Almazrouei, Chief Customer Officer at CBD. Per CBUAE, more licensed exchange houses and financial institutions are lined up to join.
Online payments and the role of Network International
The Jaywan payment scheme went live for online payments on 20 July through Network International, which switched on acceptance across thousands of UAE merchants running on its e-commerce gateway. The company confirmed that merchants pay no additional fee for Jaywan transactions — a detail that changes acquiring economics on a full year.
"Extending Jaywan acceptance to online payments builds on the company's earlier rollout of the scheme for in-store transactions," said Pinar Alpay, Group Chief Product and Marketing Officer at Network International.
Card functionality and international use
Cardholders get the full toolkit at launch: POS Chip and PIN, contactless taps, online e-commerce, ATM withdrawals and digital wallets. Where the design gets interesting is the co-badged version. Jaywan pairs with Visa, Mastercard, Discover and UnionPay, so a single card runs on the domestic rail inside the UAE and switches to a global network when the cardholder travels. One card. Two rails. No separate wallet to manage.
What Jaywan means for UAE businesses
For merchants, the near-term signal is acquiring cost. Network International's confirmation that there is no additional fee to merchants for Jaywan transactions changes the math on card-present and card-not-present acceptance — modestly for a small e-shop, meaningfully at retail scale.
Three more angles matter for CFOs and finance directors in the UAE:
- Data residency. Jaywan transactions clear inside the UAE. For companies with strict internal audit or PII policies, that shrinks the compliance surface tied to cross-border card data.
- Corporate rails. FAB's first-mover position on Jaywan links directly to its corporate accounts and, over time, likely to WPS payroll flows. Worth watching if your salary rail runs through FAB today.
- Rewards on business spend. The UAE domestic card scheme launches with a rewards programme spanning travel, retail, hospitality and lifestyle, which extends to corporate spend patterns.
What Jaywan means for UAE expats
The card runs through a UAE bank rather than a foreign scheme for domestic transactions. In practice: faster clearing on AED spending inside the country and less FX friction on local purchases. Abroad, the co-badged version routes through Visa, Mastercard, Discover or UnionPay, so travel behaviour does not change.
How to get a Jaywan card at the two first issuers:
- FAB. Existing customers apply in the FAB Mobile app or at a branch. New customers open a FAB account first, then request the Jaywan debit card. Elite and Private Banking clients go through their relationship manager.
- CBD. Prepaid cards are available through CBD's retail channels.
Strategic context: Dubai D33 and payment sovereignty
The UAE national card scheme sits inside the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, which frames the emirate's digital economy targets for this decade. Two consequences follow. Domestic transactions no longer depend fully on foreign card schemes — a sovereignty gain for the country. And the cost floor of card acceptance shifts downward, which supports financial inclusion for small merchants that used to sit outside cashless flows.
What's next
Per CBUAE, issuer expansion continues across banks, licensed financial institutions and exchange houses in the UAE. Network International is scaling online acceptance across its merchant base. Expect more rewards partners over the coming months and, in time, deeper integration with corporate products — payroll rails, expense cards, government payments. The full press release is available on the CBUAE website.
This information is for reference only. Specific card terms (fees, limits, KYC) — please confirm with the issuing bank. For a review of applicability to your case — Garant consultation.
