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Dubai, UAE – In a regional first, Geidea, a leading fintech and payments technology provider in the region, has introduced a dual-card routing capability in partnership with UnionPay International – unlocking greater payment flexibility, improved acceptance, and a seamless experience for UnionPay cardholders across the Middle East & Africa.
Designed to intelligently route eligible transactions, the capability enables smoother, more reliable payments across Geidea’s merchant network, setting a new standard for choice and efficiency at the point of sale. By enabling routing flexibility on dual-network cards, the capability supports processing in line with cardholder preference, where applicable, contributing to improved performance, reliability, and overall payment experience.
The launch comes as Chinese outbound tourism continues to shape global spending. With this integration, Chinese tourists and expats can transact with the same familiarity and confidence they experience at home reducing friction and enhancing trust at checkout.
For merchants, the impact is immediate. Improved acceptance rates and a streamlined payment experience allow businesses across retail, hospitality, and tourism to better attract and convert a high-value customer segment.
The collaboration further strengthens ties between Geidea and UnionPay International, as both continue to expand payment acceptance and financial connectivity across the region. In addition to higher transaction success rates, the capability may also offer currency efficiency advantages depending on routing and issuer policies.
“Payments should operate seamlessly in the background, regardless of where you are in the world. With dual-card routing, we’re removing friction for UnionPay cardholders while helping our merchants connect more meaningfully with one of the world’s most valuable customer segments. As one of the first to bring this capability to market, this is about making global commerce feel local,” said Pankaj Kundra, CEO of Geidea.
“At UnionPay International, we always strive to put our customers first. This launch represents a significant milestone in advancing payment acceptance in the region. By enabling dual-card routing, we are enhancing reliability for UnionPay cardholders while helping merchants unlock greater value from cross-border customers,” said Luping Zhang, General Manager of UnionPay International Middle East.
With this milestone, Geidea reinforces its role in enabling next-generation payment experiences — supporting tourism growth and delivering seamless, globally aligned transactions at scale.
About Geidea:
Geidea is a leading technology firm operating in the fintech space by offering digital banking technology, smart payment terminals and business management solutions for the retail and digital commerce sectors, currently serving over 650,000 merchants worldwide. The company is expanding internationally with operations in the UAE and Egypt. Founded in 2008 by Saudi entrepreneur Abdullah AlOthman, the group is headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where AlOthman continues to serve as the Executive Chairperson.
Geidea believes that the latest payments and commerce technology should be accessible, affordable, and intuitive for everyone. The company continues to focus on its mission of empowering merchants with the tools to start, manage and grow their businesses, which is at the heart of what Geidea does. The group received an official certification as a Great Place to Work® (GPTW®) in all of its offices in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and India where it employs more than 2300 team members.
About UnionPay International:
UnionPay International (UPI) is focused on the growth and support of UnionPay’s global business. In partnership with more than 2600 institutions worldwide, UnionPay International has enabled card acceptance in 183 countries and regions, with issuance in 85 countries and regions. Outside China’s mainland, UnionPay is accepted at over 80 million merchants and 1.8 million ATMs. UnionPay International provides high quality, cost effective and secure cross-border payment services to the world’s largest cardholder base and ensures convenient local services to a growing number of global UnionPay cardholders and merchants.
