At Web Summit Qatar, Visa and UnionPay International (UPI) announced an agreement to enable cross-border money movement into the Chinese Mainland through Visa Direct.
Once fully rolled out, clients will be able to send cross-border remittances and business-to-consumer payouts to more than 95 percent of UnionPay International debit cardholders in the Chinese Mainland, through a single connection.
This milestone showcased Visa’s commitment to opening global corridors and extending reliable money movement capabilities to people and businesses worldwide.
By connecting Visa Direct’s global money movement network to UPI’s MoneyExpress platform, Visa will provide a more seamless, secure, and transparent way for consumers and businesses worldwide to send money to the Chinese Mainland, one of the world’s largest remittance destinations.
“Global business now moves at internet speed, but money hasn’t always kept pace,” said Vira Platonova, Global Head of Visa Direct.
“By expanding Visa Direct’s reach through UnionPay International, we’re shrinking the world again – not through tests or theory, but through real, critical infrastructure operating at massive scale, speed and reliability.”
The connection will support a broad set of cross‑border use cases, including creator and freelancer payouts, contractor disbursements, reimbursements, and family remittances.
As platforms, marketplaces, and employers operate without borders, these payments and payouts increasingly require the ability to reach people at scale and in real time reliably.
“Cross‑border remittances are a key livelihood link connecting personal life, economic activity, and financial needs across borders, and are an important part of UnionPay’s international strategy,” said Larry Wang, CEO of UnionPay International.
"This cooperation with Visa represents a precise alignment of the two sides’ strengths and is also an active response to the digitalisation and convenience trends in global cross‑border remittances.
It will allow more overseas users to enjoy low‑cost, high‑efficiency, and trustworthy cross‑border remittance services, while delivering business growth to partners at home and abroad and supporting the development of a broader, more efficient global cross‑border remittance service ecosystem."
Visa Direct has continued to scale as a foundational layer of the global economy, helping clients unlock new markets, improve liquidity, and deliver faster, more predictable payment experiences worldwide. The expanded Visa Direct connection to UnionPay International is expected to be available starting in the first half of 2026.
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