UnionPay rolls out virtual cards in Vietnam for the first time

By Edil Corneille

UnionPay International (UPI) announced today its cooperation with the Military Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Military Bank) in Vietnam to issue 600,000 virtual cards supporting online and QR Code payment, thereby marking the first massive rollout of UnionPay virtual cards in the country. Mobile payment service has become a major driving force behind UnionPay’s business localisation in global markets. More than six million UnionPay virtual cards were issued outside Mainland China last year, with over half issued in Southeast Asia.

At present, UnionPay mobile payment service has been implemented in all of the 10 ASEAN countries at over 500,000 merchants in various sectors. Building on the acceptance, the company has been serving the local residents by partnering with payment industry players in the region. 18 e-wallets compliant with the company’s specifications have been introduced in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia which can be used once a card is linked. 6 mobile wallets including Boost in Malaysia and Aleta Planet Nestia in Singapore also enable users to apply for the virtual cards, offering a more convenient payment experience.

As the second UnionPay-compliant e-wallet launched in Vietnam, the mobile app of Military Bank allows local residents to apply for cards in the app and pay with QR Code at more than 40,000 local merchants. The app can also be used at over 30 million global merchants when the user travels internationally.

In addition to mobile payment service, an increasing number of local residents in Vietnam are said to be making payments with UnionPay cards which are accepted by 90% of local merchants. Several major Vietnamese banks including Sacombank have issued the cards, and purchase transaction volume over the first 10 months of 2020 grew by 40%. UPI recently collaborated with VietinBank, one of the largest commercial banks in the country, to issue the first platinum UnionPay card supporting tap-and-go payment in Vietnam.

UnionPay has extended its global acceptance network to 179 countries and regions, of which 85 support the mobile payment service. Over 90 UnionPay-compliant mobile wallets have been launched in 15 countries and regions outside Mainland China, in the forms of UnionPay App, UnionPay QR Code wallets, and mobile payment products.