Mastercard Boosts Cross-Border Payments in UAE through Partnerships and Solutions

Mastercard has partnered with Worldpay to enhance cross-border payments in the UAE, leveraging Mastercard Move and Push-to-Card solutions for domestic and international card-based payouts. The collaboration aims to streamline payment processes for consumers and businesses, including gig worker payments, insurance settlements, and remittances. Additionally, Mastercard has entered into a strategic partnership with UAE-based fintech Zand to deliver secure international money transfer services. These initiatives reflect Mastercard's efforts to boost cross-border payment capabilities in the UAE and accelerate digital transactions nationwide.

Mastercard Incorporated and Worldpay have joined forces to streamline cross-border payments in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), leveraging Mastercard Move and Worldpay's Push-to-Card solutions. This strategic partnership aims to enhance payment processes for consumers and businesses, including gig worker payments, insurance settlements, and remittances. Additionally, Mastercard has entered into a strategic partnership with UAE-based fintech Zand to deliver secure international money transfer services.

The collaboration will facilitate swift and seamless domestic and international card-based payouts, supported by Mastercard's robust security framework and reliable infrastructure. For consumers, this means faster access to funds, while businesses gain more efficient payout capabilities without the need to share banking details. Worldpay's merchants will also benefit from using their existing acquiring flows to fund disbursements, simplifying operations and reducing reliance on multiple providers.

Mastercard Move, a suite of money transfer solutions, empowers banks, non-bank financial institutions, and their customers with secure, near-instant money transfer capabilities. The service spans over 200 countries and supports more than 150 currencies, reaching more than 95% of the world's banked population. The integration of Worldpay's Push-to-Card solution with Mastercard Move will enable a range of fast, secure payment services, including local and international transactions.

The increased usage of Mastercard Move is expected to boost its cross-border volumes. According to Mastercard's latest financial report, cross-border volumes advanced 15% on a local currency basis in the second quarter of 2025 [3].

This initiative is part of Mastercard's broader strategy to enhance cross-border payment capabilities across the UAE and accelerate the adoption of digital transactions nationwide. Mastercard's efforts to boost cross-border payment volumes are competitive, as evidenced by the growth of its competitors, PayPal and Visa, in the UAE. PayPal's cross-border total payment volume grew 10% year over year in the second quarter of 2025, while Visa's cross-border volume improved 12% year over year in the third quarter of fiscal 2025 [2].

The collaboration between Mastercard and Worldpay reflects a commitment to building a digital ecosystem that caters to diverse customer bases and use cases. As one of the first acquirers in the country to enable Mastercard Move, Worldpay is offering individuals and businesses a fast, secure, and convenient way to send and receive funds.

References:
[1] https://www.tradingview.com/news/reuters.com,2025-08-18:newsml_Zaw3c0X9K:0-pressr-worldpay-leverages-mastercard-move-to-empower-consumers-and-businesses-to-send-and-receive-payments-quickly-and-securely-in-the-uae/
[2] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/worldpay-leverages-mastercard-move-ease-101353624.html
[3] https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/markets/stocks/V/pressreleases/34254715/mastercard-in-a-spree-to-boost-cross-border-payments-in-the-uae/