UnionPay International highlighted its role in fostering an open, inclusive global payments ecosystem at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos, emphasizing multilateral connectivity, interoperability, and the responsible application of AI to enhance efficiency, security, and financial inclusion amid geopolitical and economic uncertainties.
At the World Economic Forum 2026 in Davos, UnionPay International positioned cross-border payments connectivity as a practical response to moderating global growth, structural headwinds in advanced economies, and transaction frictions in emerging markets. Rather than competing as a dominant global provider, UnionPay focuses on building collaborative, interoperable frameworks that integrate diverse stakeholders and reduce cooperation costs.
The “New Four-Party Model,” evolved for the digital payments era, extends the traditional four-party framework through network-to-network (N2N) and government-to-government (G2G) cooperation. It incorporates digital wallets, mobile device manufacturers, payment service providers, aggregators, and SaaS platforms on both account and acceptance sides. This model has been deployed effectively in key emerging regions, promoting mutual recognition of standards, coordinated network growth, and enhanced payment infrastructure without displacing local systems.
As a result, UnionPay’s acceptance network now spans 183 countries and regions, with cards issued in 84, enabling tens of millions of MSMEs worldwide to access international consumers and cross-border commerce opportunities.
Artificial intelligence featured prominently in Davos discussions on economic transformation, and UnionPay positioned itself as an application-driven leader in financial AI. The company collaborates with technology firms, research institutions, and universities to build a shared AI ecosystem focused on secure, compliant, and sustainable deployments.
In payment security, UnionPay’s intelligent risk-control system leverages AI-generated expert rules to achieve 85% accuracy, significantly improving transaction protection timeliness and effectiveness.
For agentic solutions, UnionPay pioneered the MCP Agent Payment Service, enabling users to complete full payment journeys through natural conversational interactions. Additionally, the “Nihao China” app—launched in December 2025—uses AI to provide inbound travelers with payment guidance, multilingual translation, itinerary planning, and daily recommendations, enhancing the experience amid China’s expanding visa-free policies.
UnionPay’s Davos presence reflected the forum’s “Spirit of Dialogue” by advocating for multilateral collaboration over unilateral dominance. By improving payment efficiency, lowering costs, and enabling broader participation—especially for SMEs in emerging markets—UnionPay supports regional economic circulation and inclusive growth.
Dong Junfeng, Chairman of China UnionPay and UnionPay International, emphasized that UnionPay’s international journey mirrors China’s economic resilience and continued opening-up. Even in a complex global environment, the organization remains committed to equality, mutual benefit, and shared growth in the payments sector.
Looking forward, UnionPay will continue leveraging connectivity and responsible innovation to deepen cooperation and contribute to a more open, inclusive, and sustainable international payments ecosystem under its vision of “Trusted Ties, Shared Success.”
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