Al Etihad Payments — a subsidiary of the Central Bank of the UAE and operator of the national Jaywan card scheme — signed a Memorandum of Understanding with UnionPay International in Shanghai on 12 August 2026. Holders of mono-badged Jaywan cards will gain acceptance at more than 100 million POS terminals and 1.8 million ATMs across 183 countries and regions through UnionPay's international network. A pilot launches in mainland China.
What was signed
The ceremony took place at UnionPay International's headquarters in Shanghai. The MoU was signed by Saif Humaid Al Dhaheri, Chairman of Al Etihad Payments, and Dong Junfeng, Chairman of China UnionPay and UnionPay International.
Key terms of the agreement:
- Jaywan cards gain acceptance in 183 countries and regions — across UnionPay's international network;
- that translates into 100+ million POS terminals and 1.8 million ATMs;
- international Jaywan card transactions will be routed through the UAE National Switch, which is operated by Al Etihad Payments;
- a second MoU covers settlement, liquidity and foreign-exchange arrangements between the parties.
Al Dhaheri described the MoU as "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."
What changes for a Jaywan cardholder
Until now, the Jaywan-only (mono-badged) card worked exclusively inside the UAE through the domestic UAESWITCH rail. For a deeper explainer of how the national scheme works and how Jaywan-only differs from co-badged cards, see our reference piece «Jaywan: the UAE's national payment card for business». The essence of the new MoU: the same mono-badged plastic will function abroad at any UnionPay acceptance point, with no upgrade or replacement.
Technically, when a Jaywan-only holder pays at a shop or withdraws cash outside the UAE, UnionPay accepts the transaction and routes it back to the UAE National Switch for authorisation and settlement. From the customer's point of view, nothing extra needs to be done — no card change is required.
China pilot and what comes next
The first overseas market goes live in mainland China: in the pilot, Jaywan-only holders will pay at participating UnionPay merchants with no additional card required. Expansion to other markets will follow as UnionPay acquirers and local processing infrastructure come online.
China as the first market is a natural choice for two reasons. First, that is UnionPay's home network with the densest acceptance footprint. Second, UAE-China trade volumes and tourist flows are consistently among the Emirates' largest, and the UAE has long treated the China corridor as a strategic direction of its economic policy.
Who benefits most
Three groups gain immediately:
- UAE businesses with staff on the road. Companies whose employees travel to Asia, Europe or the wider Middle East can now issue corporate Jaywan cards without insisting on a co-badge and without cross-border restrictions. On how corporate accounts feed card issuance, see our guide to the UAE corporate bank account.
- Expats and residents. Holders of personal Jaywan-only cards get overseas acceptance in places that previously required a second Visa or Mastercard — especially visible on trips to China, where UnionPay is the dominant network.
- Retail and e-commerce. Merchants outside the UAE that already accept UnionPay pick up a new inbound customer segment from Jaywan holders in the Emirates — with no separate integration required.
Fees and terms for international transactions — currency conversion, ATM withdrawal limits, e-commerce support — depend on the issuing bank and card type. It pays to check with your bank directly.
Context: Jaywan, and why now
Jaywan is the UAE's first national (domestic) card scheme. It is operated by Al Etihad Payments (AEP), a subsidiary of the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE). The scheme was launched in 2024, and mass cardholder issuance and online acceptance rolled out in July 2026: the operational inauguration on 20 July 2026 was led by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of CBUAE.
International expansion is the natural next step of the strategy. In March 2025, AEP and UnionPay had already launched the UnionPay-Jaywan co-badge card (one card, two networks). In July 2026, UnionPay International signed a tripartite set of MoUs with the Central Bank of the UAE, Al Etihad Payments and Bank of China (Abu Dhabi Branch) to enhance cross-border payment interoperability. The 12 August MoU takes that line to its practical conclusion — extending international acceptance to mono-badged Jaywan-only cards as well.
What businesses should do now
With the national scheme moving beyond UAE borders, there is a case for companies to review their payment set-up. Practical steps:
- Ask the issuing bank whether the new MoU covers your corporate Jaywan cards, and from what date acceptance goes live in specific countries — banks will roll out processing changes as they are ready.
- Reassess the corporate card mix. If travelling staff previously required a co-badged or separate international card, a mono-badged Jaywan may now serve as the primary card, with a co-badge kept as a backup.
- Check acquiring for inbound UnionPay flows. Companies in tourism, retail and e-commerce should verify with their acquirer how Jaywan/UnionPay acceptance is configured in-store and online — as Jaywan cardholders and Chinese visitor volumes grow, this becomes a visible revenue channel.
Takeaway
The new MoU turns Jaywan from a purely domestic UAE card into an international payment instrument — with no need to issue a co-badge. For UAE businesses, it simplifies the corporate card policy for travelling staff; for expats, it closes the gap between a "home" and a "travel" card; for overseas retailers, it opens a new customer segment from the Emirates. Real-world coverage will expand as the China pilot and subsequent markets come online.
This article is for information only and is not financial advice. Acceptance terms, fees and roll-out timing for a specific card should be confirmed with your issuing bank and on the official resources of Al Etihad Payments (aep.ae) and the Central Bank of the UAE (centralbank.ae).
