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New agreement allows use of UAE's Jaywan cards in over 183 countries
Under the memorandum, UnionPay will handle the transfer of Jaywan card transactions executed outside the UAE to the Emirates Electronic Switch system operated by Etihad Payments
- PUBLISHED: Tue 11 Aug 2026, 10:11 PM
- By:
- WAM
Etihad Payments signed a Memorandum of Understanding with UnionPay International on Tuesday, August 11, in order to expand Jaywan single-system cards globally.
The new agreement will allow customers to use them at more than 100 million points of sale and 1.8 million ATMs in more than 183 countries.
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Under the memorandum, UnionPay will handle the transfer of Jaywan card transactions executed outside the UAE to the Emirates Electronic Switch system operated by Etihad Payments.
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Settlement operations will be carried out under a separate memorandum of understanding that includes the provision of settlement, liquidity and foreign exchange services, supporting the global expansion of the Jaywan system.
The signing ceremony took place at the headquarters of UnionPay International in Shanghai, where Saif Humaid Al Dhaheri, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Etihad Payments, and Dong Junfeng, Chairman of the Board of Directors of UnionPay China and UnionPay International, signed the Memorandum of Understanding.
The memorandum will contribute to enhancing global competitiveness and operational flexibility of the local payment card system in the UAE, in addition to raising the efficiency of payment settlement using local currencies and supporting trade relations between the two countries.
This collaboration is an extension of the existing partnership between Etihad Payments and UnionPay to issue multi-system 'Jaywan - UnionPay' cards by financial institutions in the UAE, where local payments are processed through the Jaywan system, while international payments are processed through the UnionPay International network.