Mastercard and noon payments Launch Jaywan Card Acceptance via Mastercard Gateway

Mastercard and noon payments have integrated Jaywan, the UAE’s domestic card scheme, into the Mastercard Gateway. This move allows merchants to accept local cards alongside international ones through a single platform, marking a significant step in the UAE’s push for a sovereign digital payment infrastructure and increased financial inclusion for regional businesses.

What was announced

The collaboration enables Jaywan card transactions to be processed via the Mastercard Gateway, a capability delivered through the Mastercard Merchant Cloud. This integration is designed to support the acceptance of the United Arab Emirates’ domestic card scheme across the digital commerce landscape. For consumers, the update means Jaywan cards can now be used for online transactions within the noon payments digital ecosystem. For merchants and payment partners, the primary benefit is a unified, scalable gateway that handles both local and international payment methods simultaneously, removing the need for fragmented systems.

Jaywan, which was introduced in 2024, serves as the UAE’s dedicated domestic card scheme. By bringing it into the Mastercard Gateway, the partners aim to accelerate the adoption of local digital payment options. The Mastercard Merchant Cloud provides the underlying framework for this, offering businesses access to modular services such as fraud protection, authentication, tokenization, and data services. It also includes agentic capabilities, reflecting a shift toward more automated, intelligent transaction handling. The rollout focuses on simplifying the complexity of commerce for businesses operating in the UAE, ensuring they can meet local payment preferences while maintaining the security and scale provided by a global network infrastructure.

"Expanding acceptance is central to the growth of any card scheme. We are glad to announce that Jaywan acceptance for e-commerce transactions is live, and this represents a critical milestone in our Jaywan journey. Through this partnership, noon, Mastercard and AEP contribute to strengthen the proposition to the merchants, who now have the possibility to accept our national payment card, and contribute to the payment strategy of the UAE."

Andrea Cianchetti, Chief Products Officer at Al Etihad Payments.

The companies involved

Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry, connecting consumers, financial institutions, and merchants across more than 210 countries and territories. It operates as a central pillar of the global financial ecosystem, frequently partnering with local entities to bridge the gap between domestic needs and international standards. The company has been the subject of extensive coverage at FF News, with over 900 reports detailing its technological shifts.

noon payments is a digital payments service provider that forms part of the broader noon ecosystem. It focuses on providing businesses with tools to accept payments online and in-person, aiming to simplify the financial interaction between merchants and consumers in the Middle East. The platform is designed to be accessible for businesses of various sizes, supporting the growth of the regional digital economy.

Al Etihad Payments (AEP) is the entity responsible for the UAE’s national payment infrastructure. It oversees the development and implementation of domestic schemes like Jaywan. This scheme was specifically designed to provide a payment experience tailored to the unique requirements of the UAE market. By working with global players like Mastercard, AEP seeks to integrate the national card scheme into the wider digital economy, ensuring that local financial products are as functional and widely accepted as their international counterparts.

What FF News has reported before

Mastercard has recently been active in expanding its technological footprint through various global partnerships. FF News recently covered how Mastercard and Backbase Launch Agentic Banking Solutions for 120+ Global Banks, highlighting the company's move toward AI-driven financial services. In the realm of social commerce, the publication reported on how Mastercard and Flowcart Launch In-Chat Payments to Transform Social Commerce in Africa. Additionally, the company's research into future shopping trends was detailed in a report where Mastercard Predicts £370 Billion AI Shopping Shift as Agentic Commerce Emerges. These stories underscore a broader corporate strategy of embedding Mastercard’s gateway and processing technology into diverse, localized digital environments.

What this means

This integration signals a maturing of the UAE’s domestic financial identity. For years, global schemes have dominated the region, but the rise of Jaywan suggests a shift toward sovereign payment rails that can reduce transaction costs for local merchants. The industry is currently seeing a wave of "nationalism" in payments, where countries seek to insulate their domestic economies from external shocks and reduce reliance on international networks. This puts pressure on traditional payment processors to adapt their stacks to support these local schemes or risk losing market share to specialized regional players. The success of this initiative will depend on whether consumers see Jaywan as a viable alternative to established global brands.