UnionPay cards are set to become part of the payment offering at Sends, a UK-based fintech providing payment and financial services to individuals and businesses, under a new cooperation with UnionPay International (UPI). The agreement covers both sides of a card transaction. Sends plans to develop UnionPay card issuing, so its customers can access UnionPay-powered payment products and use them across UnionPay’s global acceptance network.
In parallel, the companies are working on UnionPay acquiring, which will allow merchants in the Sends ecosystem to accept payments made with UnionPay cards. The arrangement combines UnionPay’s payment network with Sends’ financial infrastructure to create more payment options for consumers and businesses operating across markets.
Issuing and acquiring support a two-sided model
Spanning both issuing and acquiring, Sends is developing what it calls a two-sided proposition. Cardholders with UnionPay products provided by the firm will be able to pay abroad, while businesses connected to its infrastructure can accept transactions on the network. This gives sellers an additional route to reach overseas shoppers, particularly those linked to Asian markets, and broadens the checkout options offered through the platform.
Alona Shevtsova, CEO of Sends, said payments are becoming more global while customers and businesses expect the experience to stay simple, and described the cooperation as a step towards infrastructure that connects the two. Shevtsova added that developing both capabilities expands what Sends can offer on each side of a transaction, giving customers more payment flexibility and helping merchants reach a wider international audience.
Cooperation forms part of a broader platform strategy
The move reflects Sends’ strategy of building an interconnected financial ecosystem for businesses and individuals rather than focusing on standalone payment products. The company’s platform brings together personal and business accounts, international transfers, foreign exchange (FX), cards, and merchant solutions.
Sends has also added eSIM travel data to its app, extending its services for customers who travel or operate across borders. Alongside product development, the company has taken part in industry discussions on real-time and cross-border payments, digital wallets, and payment infrastructure in markets including the UK and the Middle East. With UnionPay issuing and acquiring in development, card payments become a further component of this multi-product offering.
