Singaporean lender UOB is expanding its payment capabilities for customers travelling to China, one of the bank’s fastest-growing spending corridors, by adding enhancements to the UOB UnionPay Card, which now offers zero foreign exchange fees worldwide and zero transaction fees on eligible Alipay and WeChat Pay transactions in China.
The bank is also rolling out plans for China QR payments through UOB TMRW, its all-in-one banking app, by the end of 2026.
These capabilities, the bank notes, will expand customers’ choice and make it easier to pay using familiar channels while travelling.
UOB has ranked first in Southeast Asia for Visa and Mastercard cross-border consumer credit card billings for three consecutive years, based on total payment volumes across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam between 2H 2023 and 1H 2026.
Overall, cross-border payment transactions grew more than 20% year on year in the first half of 2026 driven by cards, QR payments and cross-border transfers, putting the bank on a strong trajectory towards 50 million transactions by end-2026.
“China is an important and fast-growing travel and spending corridor for our customers,” says Pratik Bhattacharjee, the bank’s head of group cards and payment products. “By expanding the ways they can pay, we are giving customers greater choice, value and confidence.”
