Al Etihad Payments, a subsidiary of the Central Bank of the UAE, has partnered with Mastercard to launch the world’s first “Jaywan–Mastercard” co-badged credit card.
This partnership is a strategic move to strengthen the UAE’s position as an international financial hub.
The announcement marks a significant milestone in the UAE’s evolving payments setting, enabling the issuance of Jaywan co-badged credit cards and their acceptance globally.
It will strengthen the UAE’s position as an international financial hub with the implementation of a new node in the Mastercard network in the UAE, designed to process both domestic and international flows.
The UAE will be among the earliest countries to benefit from Mastercard’s advanced technology and services, supporting Al Etihad Payments’ role in bringing together banks, fintechs, merchants, and global technology partners to modernise the UAE’s payment infrastructure.
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Together, Al Etihad Payments and Mastercard will expand payment options, support local innovation, and strengthen resilience to enable financial institutions and businesses to serve consumers more efficiently in an increasingly transforming digital economy.
The launch of the ‘Jaywan-Mastercard’ credit card will enable secure, simple, and accessible payment experiences, giving banks, fintechs, and merchants additional functionality to better serve consumers, grow their businesses, and contribute to the national economy.
Mastercard will deploy next-generation payment infrastructure in the UAE, powering Jaywan debit, prepaid, and credit co-badges, encompassing advanced switching, processing, and value-added services.
Humaid Al Dhaheri, the CBUAE’s Assistant Governor for Banking Operations and Support Services, and Chairman of Al Etihad Payments, said, “This collaboration represents a defining moment for the UAE’s payments ecosystem.
By combining national infrastructure with global innovation, they are strengthening sovereignty, resilience, and choice, while accelerating the UAE’s journey toward a future-ready financial system.”
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Dr. Dimitrios Dosis, President, EEMEA, Mastercard, added, “As Mastercard celebrates forty years in the UAE, this latest milestone with Al Etihad Payments reflects how together they can strengthen the foundation for continued growth in trade, tourism, and commerce.
They are bringing together trusted technology, global scale, and deep local relationships to strengthen domestic resiliency while remaining deeply connected to the global economy.
As the partnership evolves, Al Etihad Payments and Mastercard will explore flexible, market-relevant solutions that enhance payment choice, and strengthen the country’s future-ready domestic payments ecosystem.
In a similar vein, other countries have also sought to strengthen their national payment systems, often with significant success, and the UAE’s move is likely to be watched closely by other nations looking to modernise their own payment infrastructures.
