UnionPay International Launches Global Interoperability with Cross-Border Payment Gateway

On September 16, 2025, UnionPay International officially announced the start of trial operations for China's Cross-border Interconnection Gateway (CPG), a significant step taken in late July. This initiative aims to enhance global interoperability and is expected to revolutionize how institutions, both within and outside of mainland China, conduct cross-border transactions using QR codes.

Enhancing Global Payment Solutions

UnionPay's involvement in the development of the CPG spanned a period of six months. Focused on accessibility and inclusion, the CPG allows institutions to achieve seamless interoperability with a single point of access for QR code transactions. This initiative provides various services, including unified technical interfaces, transaction switching and information distribution for cross-border transactions, as well as real-time monitoring and analysis. Ultimately, the goal is to make cross-border QR code payments more efficient, convenient, and secure for users worldwide.

Initially, the pilot launch of the CPG will enable easy access for both Chinese and international partners. Financial institutions within mainland China can integrate directly via standardized UnionPay interfaces, while international partners can connect to the CPG through UnionPay International. This dual access model not only streamlines QR code payments between mainland China and the rest of the world, but also supports local QR code payments in international markets and facilitates cross-border transactions between these markets.

Benefits of the CPG

The CPG offers four distinct advantages to partners implementing the cross-border QR code linkage. First, it reduces system integration costs and resource waste caused by ongoing system changes. Second, it encourages unified standards for collaboration with international wallet providers, enhancing efficiency and improving the user experience in accessing the Chinese payment market, while fostering fair competition and sustainable development in the global cross-border QR payment ecosystem. Third, international wallets can gain greater acceptance in mainland China, as merchants using WeChat Pay QR codes will also be able to accept payments from these wallets beyond the UnionPay network. Finally, the CPG employs a unified information interface for both incoming transactions from international wallets and outgoing transactions from Chinese wallets, facilitating centralized management of cross-border QR payments. This centralized management will aid institutions in providing more secure and reliable services to global users.

A collaborative approach with UnionPay enables international wallet operators to generate value in two significant ways. Firstly, they can offer enhanced mobile payment functionalities in more use cases by leveraging UnionPay’s integrated wallet payment solution, which supports OEM payments, QR code payments, and in-app payments. Secondly, they can tap into UnionPay's extensive global partner network, enhancing their service offerings.

The Growth of UnionPay

As a key developer of the CPG, UnionPay has been instrumental in propelling the interoperability of QR codes by fostering a comprehensive range of services and ecosystems over recent years. Within mainland China, UnionPay's efforts have intensified engagement through the Excellence Project, continually improving payment services for international visitors. As of August this year, the initiative included over 1.35 million merchants in key use cases, with 232 QR products accepting payments from foreign wallets and 168 major online merchants accepting UnionPay cards issued outside of China. This progression has laid the groundwork for a unified and convenient payment ecosystem in China, reflected in a remarkable 111% year-on-year increase in transactions made with UnionPay cards issued abroad or through international wallets connected to UnionPay.

On the international front, UnionPay has promoted cross-border QR code interoperability through two operational models: government-to-government (G2G) and network-to-network (N2N). Currently, UnionPay is either launching or working on 19 interoperability projects with partners in 19 countries, including Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Argentina. Consequently, over 11 million foreign merchants now accept UnionPay QR code payments, with projections indicating this number will reach tens of millions by the year's end.

Moreover, over 170 international QR code payment wallets have been integrated into UnionPay's network, spanning 30 countries and regions outside of mainland China. Official data highlights the rapid growth of CPG usage, with nearly 1.981 million transactions valued at 427 million RMB processed by September 11. As China continues to expand its visa-free entry policies, UnionPay’s ongoing infrastructure improvements for CPG will be pivotal in unlocking growth potential for incoming consumption, facilitating international trade and travel exchanges, and solidifying CPG's position as a cornerstone for international payment interoperability.