Visa and UnionPay International have announced an agreement to enable cross-border money movement into Chinese Mainland through Visa Direct. The agreement was announced at Web Summit Qatar.
The partnership will connect Visa Direct’s global money movement network to UnionPay International’s MoneyExpress platform.
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After rollout, the service will enable clients to send cross-border remittances and business-to-consumer payouts to more than 95% of UnionPay International debit cardholders in Chinese Mainland.
The connection will enable multiple cross-border payment flows, including payouts to creators and freelancers, contractor payments, reimbursements, and remittances sent to family members.
Visa Direct global head Vira Platonova said: “Global business now moves at internet speed, but money hasn’t always kept pace.
“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.”
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By GlobalDataThe expanded Visa Direct connection to UnionPay International is expected to be available starting in the first half of 2026.
UnionPay International CEO Larry Wang said: “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 facilitates transactions between consumers, sellers, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. The company recently reported net income of $10.9bn for its fiscal first quarter of 2026. This was up from $9.5bn in the same period a year earlier.
