Jaywan (Arabic: جيون, lit. 'precious pearl') is an Emirati card payment system wholly owned and operated by Al Etihad Payments (AEP), a subsidiary of the UAE Central Bank. Currently only debit and prepaid cards are available, credit cards may be added in the future based on the demand.
Native name | جيون |
|---|---|
| Type | State-owned |
| Industry | Finance |
| Founded | 2024 |
| Founder | Al Etihad Payments (AEP) |
| Headquarters | Abu Dhabi, |
| Products | Debit Card, Prepaid Card, Virtual Card |
| Website | About Jaywan |
History
editJaywan is the UAE's first domestic card scheme, launched in 2024 with the aim to localize card payments and reduce transaction costs and also to strengthen UAE's Position as a Global Hub for Digital Payments.
By the end of 2024 several banks in the UAE integrated Jaywan card across their ATM networks, and more than 90% of point-of-sale (PoS) terminals in the country supported Jaywan.[1]
The card can be either mono-badged (Jaywan only) or co-badged, mono-badged cards can be used in the UAE and also in the GCC countries, while co-badged cards can be used locally and internationally in partnership with international payment networks.[2]
In 2025, AEP signed several MOUs and agreements with several companies including:
- Master Card: To launch “Jaywan-Mastercard” co-badged debit and prepaid cards.[3]
- Visa: To launch “Jaywan-Visa” co-badged debit and prepaid cards.[4]
- UnionPay: To launch “Jaywan-UnionPay” co-badged debit and prepaid cards.[5]
- Discover: To launch “Jaywan-Discover” co-badged debit and prepaid cards.[6]
- Apple: To allow Jaywan card holders to add their cards to the Apple Wallet.[7]
- Samsung: To allow Jaywan card holders to add their cards to the Samsung Wallet.[8]
- Google: To allow Jaywan card holders to add their cards to the Google Pay Wallet.[9]
As of Jan 2026 the Jaywan card is accepted by most of the PoS terminals and ATMs in the country, but not widely issued or used. This is expected to change by the end of 2027, as the UAE Central Bank mandates UAE banks to issue Jaywan debit cards to their customers over the next few years.
On April 27, 2026, Telr announced support for Jaywan cards on their online payment gateway.[10]
References
edit- ^ Nair, Manoj (19 July 2024). "UAE's new 'Jaywan' payment cards to be issued from September; ATMs, point-of-sale terminals get ready". Gulf News: Latest UAE news, Dubai news, Business, travel news, Dubai Gold rate, prayer time, cinema. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
- ^ ""Jaywan" the UAE's First Domestic Card Scheme Introduced to Strengthen the UAE's Position as a Global Hub for Digital Payments" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 February 2025.
- ^ "Arabian Business: Al Etihad Payments, Mastercard launch Jaywan co-badged debit and prepaid cards in UAE | Al Etihad Payments". aep.ae. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
- ^ "Gulf Business: Jaywan-Visa partnership: How will these debit, prepaid cards benefit customers | Al Etihad Payments". aep.ae. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
- ^ "Yahoo Finance: UnionPay, Al Etihad Payments partner to roll out co-badge cards in UAE | Al Etihad Payments". aep.ae. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
- ^ "Al Etihad Payments signs global co-badging deals for Jaywan cards with major payment giants | Al Etihad Payments". aep.ae. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
- ^ Espósito, Filipe (10 March 2025). "Apple Pay coming soon to more UAE and Qatar card networks". 9to5Mac. Archived from the original on 18 December 2025. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
- ^ "UAE Central Bank says infrastructure ready to launch Jaywan card locally, globally". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
- ^ "Key milestones in 2025" (JPG). aep.ae (in Arabic).
- ^ Release, Press. "Telr launches Jaywan for its UAE merchants". www.zawya.com. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
