Etihad Payments and UnionPay Sign Deal for Global Jaywan Card Acceptance

UnionPay International and Al Etihad Payments signed a memorandum of understanding on Jul 21, 2026, at a ceremony in Shanghai. The agreement enables Jaywan mono-badged cards, the UAE's domestic card scheme, to be accepted across UnionPay's global network. A pilot phase will launch first in mainland China before expanding to additional overseas markets.

Dong Junfeng, Chairman of China UnionPay and UPI, signed on behalf of UnionPay. H.E. Saif Humaid Al Dhaheri, Chairman of the Board of Managers of Al Etihad Payments, represented AEP.

A separate MoU was signed between UnionPay International Middle East Branch and Bank of China Abu Dhabi Branch to formalize cooperation on settlement of cross-border card transactions. The CBUAE and Bank of China Abu Dhabi Branch also signed an MoU to support settlement of Jaywan transaction flows processed through UPI rails.