Al Etihad Payments, a subsidiary of the Central Bank of the UAE, has announced that the UAE’s financial infrastructure is ready to activate Jaywan, the country’s first domestic card scheme, for local and global use. Licensed financial institutions will be able to offer Jaywan debit, prepaid and credit cards that can be used across ATMs, point-of-sale terminals and e-commerce. The scheme will be offered as mono-badge Jaywan cards for use in the UAE, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and other markets, and as co-badge cards issued in partnership with international payment schemes for broader international acceptance. Jaywan will also be available in tiers such as basic and premium, with payments processed via UAESWITCH to support faster local payment processing and provide a local alternative intended to lower transaction costs. To support international usability and digital wallet deployment, Al Etihad Payments has signed agreements with Discover, Mastercard, Visa and UnionPay, and an MoU with Samsung Gulf Electronics to enable Jaywan in Samsung Wallet. The next phase includes implementation on Google Pay and Apple Pay and bilateral agreements with India by mid-2025, while an awareness campaign is scheduled for April 2025.
Central Bank of the UAE 2025-02-27
Central Bank of the UAE announces readiness to activate Jaywan as the UAE’s first domestic card scheme
Al Etihad Payments, a Central Bank of the UAE subsidiary, announced the UAE's financial infrastructure is ready to activate Jaywan, the first domestic card scheme, for local and global use. Jaywan cards will be mono-badge for the UAE and GCC, and co-badge with international schemes for broader acceptance, processed via UAESWITCH to reduce costs. Agreements with Discover, Mastercard, Visa, UnionPay, and Samsung Gulf Electronics support international use, with plans for Google Pay, Apple Pay, and bilateral agreements with India by mid-2025.