Accessibility Statement Skip Navigation
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • +44 (0)20 7454 5110
  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
Return to PR Newswire homepage
  • News
  • Products
  • Contact
When typing in this field, a list of search results will appear and be automatically updated as you type.

Searching for your content...

No results found. Please change your search terms and try again.
  • News in Focus
      • Browse News Releases

      • All Public Company News
      • All Multimedia News
      • View All News Releases

      • Regulatory News

      • D/A/CH Regulatory News
      • UK Regulatory News
      • View All Regulatory News

  • Business & Money
      • Auto & Transportation

      • Aerospace & Defense
      • Air Freight
      • Airlines & Aviation
      • Automotive
      • Maritime & Shipbuilding
      • Railroads & Intermodal Transportation
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Transportation, Trucking & Railroad
      • Travel
      • Trucking & Road Transportation
      • View All Auto & Transportation

      • Business Technology

      • Blockchain
      • Broadcast Tech
      • Computer & Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Components
      • Electronic Design Automation
      • Financial Technology
      • High Tech Security
      • Internet Technology
      • Nanotechnology
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Semiconductors
      • View All Business Technology

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film & Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Financial Services & Investing

      • Accounting News & Issues
      • Acquisitions, Mergers & Takeovers
      • Banking & Financial Services
      • Bankruptcy
      • Bond & Stock Ratings
      • Conference Call Announcements
      • Contracts
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Dividends
      • Earnings
      • Earnings Forecasts & Projections
      • Financing Agreements
      • Insurance
      • Investments Opinions
      • Joint Ventures
      • Mutual Funds
      • Private Placement
      • Real Estate
      • Restructuring & Recapitalisation
      • Sales Reports
      • Shareholder Activism
      • Shareholder Meetings
      • Stock Offering
      • Stock Split
      • Venture Capital
      • View All Financial Services & Investing

      • General Business

      • Awards
      • Commercial Real Estate
      • Corporate Expansion
      • Earnings
      • Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
      • Human Resource & Workforce Management
      • Licensing
      • New Products & Services
      • Obituaries
      • Outsourcing Businesses
      • Overseas Real Estate (non-US)
      • Personnel Announcements
      • Real Estate Transactions
      • Residential Real Estate
      • Small Business Services
      • Socially Responsible Investing
      • Surveys, Polls & Research
      • Trade Show News
      • View All General Business

  • Science & Tech
      • Consumer Technology

      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Blockchain
      • Cloud Computing/Internet of Things
      • Computer Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Consumer Electronics
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Gaming
      • Financial Technology
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Multimedia & Internet
      • Peripherals
      • Social Media
      • STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math)
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Consumer Technology

      • Energy & Natural Resources

      • Alternative Energies
      • Chemical
      • Electrical Utilities
      • Gas
      • General Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Oil & Energy
      • Oil & Gas Discoveries
      • Utilities
      • Water Utilities
      • View All Energy & Natural Resources

      • Environ­ment

      • Conservation & Recycling
      • Environmental Issues
      • Environmental Policy
      • Environmental Products & Services
      • Green Technology
      • Natural Disasters
      • View All Environ­ment

      • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Aerospace & Defence
      • Agriculture
      • Chemical
      • Construction & Building
      • General Manufacturing
      • HVAC (Heating, Ventilation & Air-Conditioning)
      • Machinery
      • Machine Tools, Metalworking & Metallurgy
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Paper, Forest Products & Containers
      • Precious Metals
      • Textiles
      • Tobacco
      • View All Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Telecomm­unications

      • Carriers & Services
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Telecommunications Equipment
      • Telecommunications Industry
      • VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Telecomm­unications

  • Lifestyle & Health
      • Consumer Products & Retail

      • Animals & Pets
      • Beers, Wines & Spirits
      • Beverages
      • Bridal Services
      • Cannabis
      • Cosmetics & Personal Care
      • Fashion
      • Food & Beverages
      • Furniture & Furnishings
      • Home Improvement
      • Household, Consumer & Cosmetics
      • Household Products
      • Jewellery
      • Non-Alcoholic Beverages
      • Office Products
      • Organic Food
      • Product Recalls
      • Restaurants
      • Retail
      • Supermarkets
      • Toys
      • View All Consumer Products & Retail

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film & Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Health

      • Biometrics
      • Biotechnology
      • Clinical Trials & Medical Discoveries
      • Dentistry
      • FDA Approval
      • Fitness/Wellness
      • Health Care & Hospitals
      • Health Insurance
      • Infection Control
      • International Medical Approval
      • Medical Equipment
      • Medical Pharmaceuticals
      • Mental Health
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Supplementary Medicine
      • View All Health

      • Sports

      • General Sports
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Sporting Events
      • Sports Equipment & Accessories
      • View All Sports

      • Travel

      • Amusement Parks & Tourist Attractions
      • Gambling & Casinos
      • Hotels & Resorts
      • Leisure & Tourism
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Passenger Aviation
      • Travel Industry
      • View All Travel

  • Policy & Public Interest
      • Policy & Public Interest

      • Animal Welfare
      • Corporate Social Responsibility
      • Economic News, Trends & Analysis
      • Education
      • Environmental
      • European Government
      • Labour & Union
      • Natural Disasters
      • Not For Profit
      • Public Safety
      • View All Policy & Public Interest

  • People & Culture
      • People & Culture

      • Aboriginal, First Nations & Native American
      • African American
      • Asian American
      • Children
      • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
      • Hispanic
      • Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual
      • Men's Interest
      • People with Disabilities
      • Religion
      • Senior Citizens
      • Veterans
      • Women
      • View All People & Culture

  • Overview
  • Distribution
  • Paid Placement
  • Multimedia
  • Disclosure Services
  • SocialBoost
  • Rooms
    • MediaRoom
    • ESG Rooms
  • AI Tools
  • General Enquiries
  • Media Enquiries
  • Partnerships
  • Hamburger menu
  • Cision PR Newswire UK provides press release distribution, targeting, monitoring, and marketing services
  • Send a Release
    • Phone

    • +44 (0)20 7454 5110 from 8 AM - 5:30 PM GMT

    • ALL CONTACT INFO
    • Contact Us

      +44 (0)20 7454 5110
      from 8 AM - 5:30 PM GMT

  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • News in Focus
    • Browse News Releases
    • Regulatory News
  • Business & Money
    • Auto & Transportation
    • Business Technology
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Financial Services & Investing
    • General Business
  • Science & Tech
    • Consumer Technology
    • Energy & Natural Resources
    • Environ­ment
    • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing
    • Telecomm­unications
  • Lifestyle & Health
    • Consumer Products & Retail
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Health
    • Sports
    • Travel
  • Policy & Public Interest
    • Policy & Public Interest
  • People & Culture
    • People & Culture
  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • Overview
  • Distribution
  • Paid Placement
  • Multimedia
  • Disclosure Services
  • Cision Communications Cloud®
  • AI Tools
  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • General Enquiries
  • Media Enquiries
  • Partnerships
  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists

UnionPay cards issued outside mainland China exceeds 100 million


News provided by

UnionPay International

18 Oct, 2018, 13:51 GMT

Share this article

Share toX

Share this article

Share toX

SHANGHAI, Oct. 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- UnionPay International announced today that the number of UnionPay cards issued outside the Chinese Mainland has exceeded 100 million. The volume of transactions made with these overseas-issued UnionPay cards has grown by over 40% during the first three quarters of this year. In some markets outside mainland China, over 90% of the transactions made with locally-issued UnionPay cards happen locally.

In addition to providing cross-border payment services to customers in mainland China, UnionPay is speeding up the localization of its business overseas: Firstly, UnionPay is improving the quality of card issuance while increasing the scale of card issuance. As a result, UnionPay card have become a major payment option for daily consumption and cross-border travel of customers in many countries and regions, supporting the personnel exchanges between China and the rest of the world. Secondly, payment innovation has become a major driving force for the localization of UnionPay's business outside mainland China. Overseas-issued UnionPay cards are equipped with more innovative functions, such as online payment, offering enhanced payment experience to overseas cardholders. Meanwhile, UnionPay is collaborating with e-wallet products overseas to accelerate the process of digital issuance of UnionPay cards.

UnionPay card issuance scale outside mainland China continues to grow

So far, a total of 100 million UnionPay cards have been issued in 48 countries and regions outside the Chinese Mainland, and the countries and regions participating in the construction of the Belt and Road have become major markets where large number of UnionPay cards is issued over the past few years. Along the Belt and Road, more than 35 million UnionPay cards have been issued in over 30 countries and regions, which is 20 times higher than that before the proposal of the Initiative. Among these markets, all of the 10 ASEAN countries and 6 Central Asian countries have issued UnionPay cards, and more than 10 banks in Russia have issued more than 1.5 million UnionPay cards. In addition, UnionPay is the No.1 card brand in terms of cards issued in Laos, Mongolia and Myanmar.

UnionPay is also making breakthroughs in card issuance in some countries and regions in Europe and the Americas. This month, UnionPay International and Bank of China Paris Branch have jointly issued France's first UnionPay RMB-Euro Dual-Currency Debit Card to offer payment convenience to the personnel and economic exchanges between China and France. In the Americas, Panama issued its first UnionPay cards at the beginning of this year; Southern Commercial Bank Suriname has recently issued a variety of UnionPay card products; and East West Bank in the United States also plans to issue UnionPay cards in the near future.

UnionPay becomes the preferred payment method of many overseas residents

UnionPay card is also playing an increasingly important role in the daily life of customers outside mainland China. In markets like Hong Kong, Macau, Southeast Asia, South Korea, Pakistan, and Central Asia, over 90% of the transactions made with locally-issued UnionPay cards happen locally in terms of volume. UnionPay card is also the citizen card in Manila, and the payroll card for residents of the UAE, Russia and Uzbekistan. MINT, the UAE financial services group, has issued about 500,000 UnionPay payroll cards according to its cooperation agreement with UnionPay International this year.

With China being the third largest inbound tourism host country in the world, UnionPay is also providing payment convenience to overseas guests whom visit China. UnionPay RMB cards and dual-currency cards have been issued in about 20 countries and regions outside mainland China, saving the costs induced by currency conversion for overseas customers. The volume of transactions in mainland China made with Pakistan-issued UnionPay cards has maintained a three-digit increase for three consecutive years. The volume of transactions in mainland China made with UnionPay cards issued in Uzbekistan, South Korea and Thailand have more than doubled since this year.

Innovation becomes the driving force of the localization of UnionPay's overseas business

In recent years, UnionPay International has taken multiple measures to continuously improve the payment experience of cardholders outside mainland China. Firstly, it has enriched its overseas card portfolio and has launched premium card products, such as Themed Cards and Commercial Cards, to meet the diverse needs of overseas customers. About 600,000 UnionPay Commercial Cards have been issued in over 10 countries outside mainland China. Secondly, UnionPay continues to improve its card-using services and benefits for overseas cardholders, providing privileges like merchant discounts, tax refund service, VIP service for Chinese visa application, and global assistance, etc. Thirdly, UnionPay is launching innovative payment products that are safe and flexible to meet the changing payment habits of overseas customers, enhancing the attractiveness of UnionPay.

The "UnionPay" mobile application launched mobile payment service to cardholders in Hong Kong and Macau last month. In addition, UnionPay cardholders in Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam can also bind the locally-issued UnionPay cards to local mobile payment applications to pay by scanning UnionPay QR codes at merchants. UnionPay cardholders in Hong Kong, Macau and South Korea can also enjoy UnionPay mobile QuickPass service which enables them to pay by tapping their mobile phones. Moreover, with more and more overseas-issued UnionPay cards are equipped with online payment function, the cross-border online transaction volume of overseas-issued UnionPay cards increased by about 40%.

Meanwhile, UnionPay International is accelerating the construction of its digital card issuance system based on e-wallet applications. In this September, UnionPay International partnered with the Singapore payment services group NETS to upgrade the local e-wallet NETSPay. Local consumers can download and register the e-wallet and enjoy UnionPay mobile payment service both in and outside Singapore. Next, UnionPay will launch more e-wallet products in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, South Asia and the Americas.

Modal title

Also from this source

UnionPay International and Dojo Partner to Expand Card Acceptance Across the UK

UnionPay International (UPI), dedicated to providing seamless global payment network, has announced a strategic partnership with Dojo, the UK's...

Absa Collaborates with UnionPay International to Expand Contactless Payments in South Africa

Absa, in partnership with UnionPay International (UPI), is launching contactless payments to UnionPay cardholders across South Africa, thereby...

More Releases From This Source

Explore

Banking & Financial Services

Banking & Financial Services

Computer & Electronics

Computer & Electronics

Electronic Commerce

Electronic Commerce

Electronic Commerce

Electronic Commerce

News Releases in Similar Topics

Contact PR Newswire

  • +44 (0)20 7454 5110
    from 8 AM - 5:30 PM GMT
  • General Enquiries
  • Media Enquiries
  • Partnerships

Products

  • Content Distribution
  • Multimedia Services
  • Disclosure Services
  • Cision Communications Cloud®

About

  • About PR Newswire
  • About Cision
  • Partnering Opportunities
  • Careers
  • APAC
  • APAC - Simplified Chinese
  • APAC - Traditional Chinese
  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • Czech
  • Denmark
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Israel
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Mexico
  • Middle East
  • Middle East - Arabic
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Russia
  • Slovakia
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • United States
  • Vietnam

My Services

  • All News Releases
  • Customer Portal
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • Data Privacy

Do not sell or share my personal information:

  • Submit via Privacy@cision.com 
  • Call Privacy toll-free: 877-297-8921

Contact PR Newswire

Products

About

My Services
  • All News Releases
  • Customer Portal
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
+44 (0)20 7454 5110
from 8 AM - 5:30 PM GMT
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Information Security Policy
  • Site Map
  • RSS
  • Cookie Settings
Copyright © 2025 PR Newswire Europe Limited. All Rights Reserved. A Cision company.