Thunes, the global payment infrastructure company, has deepened collaboration with UnionPay International (UPI) to launch faster, more transparent payments directly into mainland China.
The partnership establishes a direct technical connection between Thunes’ Direct Global Network and UnionPay’s infrastructure, aiming to streamline cross-border remittances for the world’s second-largest economy.
Removing cross-border friction
Historically, sending funds to China has been fraught with complexity, often involving hidden fees and administrative burdens such as the need for recipients to manually declare incoming funds.
Through this new integration, Thunes aims to remove these friction points. The direct connection supports UnionPay MoneyExpress, enabling a “pay-to-card” experience where transactions are credited in real-time or within 12 hours. Crucially, funds arrive directly in RMB to UnionPay debit cards without requiring manual intervention from the recipient.
The service provides access to UnionPay cardholders across 79 major Chinese banks, including the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), Agricultural Bank of China (ABC), and Bank of China (BoC).
Aik Boon Tan, chief network officer at Thunes, described the move as a “game-changer” for the company’s network.
“This goes beyond access, it represents a high-speed, direct-to-card rail into a leading economy without the friction of traditional cross-border payments,” said Tan. “Our Members around the world can offer their customers a truly domestic-like payment experience to a massive base of UnionPay cardholders, ensuring that sending money to China’s mainland is as simple as sending a text message.”
Global reach
The update allows Thunes’ global network of members—ranging from neobanks and super apps to money transfer operators—to offer users upfront locked exchange rates.
For UnionPay International, the collaboration bolsters its MoneyExpress service, a key pillar of its cross-border strategy designed to provide secure remittance channels into mainland China.
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