The rollout follows a September 2025 cooperation agreement witnessed by the Central Bank of Egypt and the People's Bank of China, extending UnionPay card acceptance across Paymob's merchant network.
UnionPay International said its partnership with Paymob has enabled UnionPay card acceptance at more than 160,000 POS terminals (card payment devices) across Egypt, widening access for international cardholders and local merchants. The expansion follows a strategic cooperation agreement signed in September 2025 and, the companies said, moved from signing to full market implementation in eight months. The original agreement was witnessed by the Central Bank of Egypt (Egypt's central bank) and the People's Bank of China (China's central bank), highlighting the importance both sides attach to the payments corridor. Paymob, led by Endeavor Entrepreneurs Islam Shawky, Alain El Hajj, and Mostafa Menessy, said the rollout links millions of international cardholders with Egyptian merchants across sectors including hospitality, retail, dining, tourism and transport. UnionPay International General Manager Mr. Feng Chen said the move is intended to improve payment experiences for global travellers while helping Egyptian businesses capture more cross-border spending. The companies said the rollout aligns with the Central Bank of Egypt's push for financial digitization and a more cash-lite payments system, and added they plan to keep expanding local acceptance as tourism and cross-border trade grow.