Jaywan

Jaywan is an Emirati card-payment scheme created as the United Arab Emirates' first domestic card network. Its name is derived from an Arabic term associated with a precious pearl. The scheme is wholly owned and operated by Al Etihad Payments, a subsidiary of the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates. It was introduced in 2024 as part of the UAE's effort to develop domestic payment infrastructure, localize card transactions, lower payment-processing costs, and reinforce the country's position as a regional and international center for digital payments. Jaywan is designed to support both domestic-only and internationally usable card products. A mono-badged Jaywan card carries the Jaywan identity alone and is intended for use within the UAE and, according to the available reference material, across Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Co-badged cards combine the Jaywan network with an international payment network, allowing the same card to be used locally through Jaywan and internationally through the partner network. This structure gives UAE banks a domestic-routing option while preserving international acceptance for customers who need cross-border functionality. The scheme's rollout focused first on acceptance infrastructure. By the end of 2024, several UAE banks had integrated Jaywan cards into their ATM networks, and more than 90% of point-of-sale terminals in the country reportedly supported the scheme. Acceptance therefore expanded faster than issuance and consumer usage. As of January 2026, Jaywan cards were accepted by most UAE point-of-sale terminals and ATMs, although the number of cards issued and actively used remained limited. The UAE Central Bank is expected to require UAE banks to issue Jaywan debit cards to customers over the following years, with broader adoption anticipated by the end of 2027. In 2025, Al Etihad Payments established or announced a series of relationships intended to broaden Jaywan's product and technology ecosystem. These included arrangements with Mastercard, Visa, UnionPay, and Discover for co-badged debit and prepaid cards. Separate agreements with Apple, Samsung, and Google were intended to support the addition of Jaywan cards to Apple Wallet, Samsung Wallet, and Google Pay, respectively. These partnerships indicate that Jaywan is being positioned not merely as a domestic plastic-card scheme but as a payment credential that can operate across physical, online, mobile-wallet, and international-acceptance environments. The scheme's subsequent expansion included payment-gateway support. Telr announced support for Jaywan cards on its online payment gateway in April 2026. In July 2026, Al Etihad Payments and Mastercard signed an agreement concerning Jaywan-Mastercard co-badged credit cards. Together, these developments point to a staged strategy: establish broad domestic acceptance, encourage banks to issue the cards, add digital-wallet functionality, extend online acceptance, and provide international usability through co-badging. Jaywan remains an active national payment-infrastructure brand rather than a conventional consumer goods brand, and its long-term scale depends on bank issuance, customer adoption, merchant usage, and the execution of its network partnerships.

Jaywan was established in 2024 as the United Arab Emirates' first domestic card payment scheme. It is wholly owned and operated by Al Etihad Payments, which is a subsidiary of the Central Bank of the UAE. The scheme forms part of the UAE's broader effort to build national payment infrastructure, retain more domestic payment activity within the country, reduce transaction costs, and advance the country's role as a hub for digital financial services. The initial rollout emphasized nationwide acceptance. Several banks integrated Jaywan into their ATM networks during 2024, and more than 90% of UAE point-of-sale terminals were reported to support the cards by the end of that year. Jaywan cards can be issued in mono-badged form or co-badged with an international payment network. Mono-badged cards are intended for domestic and GCC use, while co-badged cards can use a partner network for international transactions. During 2025, Al Etihad Payments pursued a series of partnerships to broaden the scheme. Proposed or announced co-badging relationships covered Mastercard, Visa, UnionPay, and Discover, with debit and prepaid products identified in the available material. Separate arrangements with Apple, Samsung, and Google were aimed at enabling Jaywan cards to be provisioned into major mobile wallets. These relationships connected the domestic scheme with established international networks and consumer payment platforms. By January 2026, Jaywan was reportedly accepted by most UAE point-of-sale terminals and ATMs, but the number of cards issued and the level of active use remained comparatively low. The UAE Central Bank was expected to require domestic banks to issue Jaywan debit cards to their customers over the following years, with adoption projected to increase by the end of 2027. This indicates that the scheme's development was moving from infrastructure deployment toward mandatory or broadly standardized bank issuance. The available record also documents expansion into online and credit payments in 2026. Telr announced support for Jaywan cards through its online payment gateway in April, and Al Etihad Payments and Mastercard signed an agreement in July regarding Jaywan-Mastercard co-badged credit cards. Jaywan's development can therefore be understood as a phased national-network project: create domestic acceptance, connect banks and merchants, provide mobile-wallet and online functionality, add international interoperability, and increase issuance through the UAE banking system.

• 2026

  Online and credit-payment expansion

  [1]Jaywanen.wikipedia.org

  Telr adds Jaywan support to its online gateway, while Mastercard and Al Etihad Payments agree to pursue Jaywan-Mastercard co-badged credit cards.

• 2025

  International-network and wallet partnerships announced

  [1]Jaywanen.wikipedia.org

  Al Etihad Payments announces or signs arrangements involving Mastercard, Visa, UnionPay, Discover, Apple, Samsung, and Google.

• 2024

  Jaywan launches

  [1]Jaywanen.wikipedia.org

  The UAE's first domestic card payment scheme is launched under Al Etihad Payments, with a mandate to support localized payments and national digital-payment infrastructure.

• 2024

  Domestic acceptance network expands

  [1]Jaywanen.wikipedia.org

  Several UAE banks integrate Jaywan into their ATM networks, and reported point-of-sale acceptance exceeds 90% of terminals by the end of the year.

• Expected broader bank issuance

  [1]Jaywanen.wikipedia.org

  The available reference material states that UAE Central Bank requirements are expected to drive wider issuance of Jaywan debit cards by UAE banks over the preceding years, with broader adoption anticipated by the end of 2027.

A UAE-owned domestic card scheme intended to localize payment processing, support lower-cost domestic transactions, strengthen national payment sovereignty, and provide a foundation for interoperable debit, prepaid, credit, online, and mobile-wallet payments.

• Domestic payment cards · 2024

  Mono-badged Jaywan cards

  Cards carrying only the Jaywan network identity. They are intended primarily for use within the UAE and across GCC countries, providing a domestic alternative to cards routed exclusively through international payment networks.

• Debit cards · 2025

  Jaywan co-badged debit cards

  Debit cards combining Jaywan with an international payment network. The Jaywan rail supports local use, while the partner network provides international acceptance and broader cross-border functionality.

• Prepaid cards · 2025

  Jaywan co-badged prepaid cards

  Prepaid products planned or developed through co-badging arrangements with international networks including Mastercard, Visa, UnionPay, and Discover. Specific issuing banks and launch dates are not identified in the available material.

• Credit cards · 2026

  Jaywan-Mastercard co-badged credit cards

  A planned credit-card format combining Jaywan's domestic scheme with Mastercard's international acceptance network. Al Etihad Payments and Mastercard signed an agreement concerning issuance in July 2026.

• Mobile payments · 2025

  Jaywan digital-wallet credentials

  Digital versions of Jaywan cards intended for use through Apple Wallet, Samsung Wallet, and Google Pay. The arrangements are designed to extend the scheme into contactless mobile payments.

• 2026

  Extend acceptance to online paymentsProduct launch

  Background

  Physical point-of-sale and ATM acceptance did not by itself cover e-commerce transactions.

  Action taken

  Telr announced support for Jaywan cards on its online payment gateway.

  Aftermath

  Jaywan gained an identified route into online merchant payments through a payment-gateway provider.

  Source

• 2026

  Develop co-badged credit cardsProduct launch

  Background

  Expanding beyond debit and prepaid products could increase the scheme's relevance in the broader consumer-card market.

  Action taken

  Al Etihad Payments and Mastercard signed an agreement concerning Jaywan-Mastercard co-badged credit cards.

  Aftermath

  The agreement indicated a planned extension of Jaywan's product range into co-badged credit cards.

  Source

• 2025

  Pursue international-network co-badgingM&A

  Background

  Jaywan needed international reach and broader card-product coverage beyond its domestic network.

  Action taken

  Al Etihad Payments entered arrangements with Mastercard, Visa, UnionPay, and Discover for co-badged debit and prepaid cards.

  Aftermath

  The partnerships were intended to give Jaywan-linked cards international usability while retaining a domestic processing option.

  Source

• 2025

  Add mobile-wallet compatibilityStrategy

  Background

  Consumer adoption required Jaywan cards to work with widely used smartphone payment platforms.

  Action taken

  Al Etihad Payments reached arrangements with Apple, Samsung, and Google to support adding Jaywan cards to their respective wallets.

  Aftermath

  The initiative positioned Jaywan for contactless mobile payments in addition to physical-card transactions.

  Source

• 2024

  Create a national domestic card schemeStrategy

  Background

  The UAE sought to localize card payments, reduce transaction costs, and strengthen domestic control of payment infrastructure.

  Action taken

  Al Etihad Payments launched Jaywan as the country's first domestic card payment scheme under the ownership of the UAE central bank.

  Aftermath

  The scheme expanded across ATM and point-of-sale acceptance networks and became the foundation for later debit, prepaid, credit, online, and mobile-payment initiatives.

  Source

• 2024

  Support mono-badged and co-badged issuanceStrategy

  Background

  A domestic-only product could support local payment sovereignty, while international interoperability remained important for customers and banks.

  Action taken

  Jaywan was structured to support mono-badged cards for UAE and GCC use as well as co-badged cards connected to international payment networks.

  Aftermath

  The model allowed Jaywan to build domestic usage without eliminating international acceptance options.

  Source

1. 1Jaywanen.wikipedia.org