UnionPay Inks 11 Cross-Border Payment Deals To Expand Global Connectivity

UnionPay hosts Global Partners Conference 2025. 

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 4 (Bernama) -- UnionPay recently signed 11 cross-border payment cooperation agreements with major institutions during the UnionPay Global Partners Conference 2025 - Innovations in Open Payments: Sharing Success in Payment Connectivity in Shanghai, China.

The agreements include Bank of China; PayNet and Hong Leong Bank (Malaysia); Uzcard and HUMO (Uzbekistan); IPC (Kyrgyzstan); OCBC Bank (Singapore); Banco do Brasil (Brazil); FonePay (Nepal); and Bluecode (Austria).

In his remarks, UnionPay International and China UnionPay Chairman, Dong Junfeng said tens of millions of micro, small, and medium-sized merchants worldwide now have access to UnionPay’s inclusive and extensive global network.

“Building a connected global network is a long-term, collective endeavour. UnionPay pursues mutually beneficial partnerships that leverage strengths of both issuing and acquiring sides for industry shared growth and fair profits distribution,” said Dong in a statement.

UnionPay has developed an open and inclusive New Four-Party Model, incorporating extended stakeholders such as wallet operators, mobile device manufacturers, and acquiring service providers, to adapt to the evolving payments industry.

While cross-border connectivity benefits millions of merchants, longer transaction chains and complex data introduce new risks, including money laundering and fraud. Artificial intelligence (AI) has become central to addressing these challenges.

Dong explained that large AI models can verify merchant authenticity with a single photo and outperform human judgement in monitoring high-risk transactions.

AI is also transforming the broader payment value chain, making transactions faster, smarter, and more efficient. UnionPay is fostering an AI ecosystem through joint innovation with research institutes, industry partners, and leading universities to drive industry-wide AI-enabled growth.

Guided by the vision of “Trusted Ties, Shared Success”, UnionPay will continue collaborating with global partners under the New Four-Party Model to build an efficient, secure, and connected global payment network, supporting the global payments industry and ensuring safe and reliable services for users worldwide.

-- BERNAMA

China's Hainan safeguards rainforest ecosystem, preserves ethnic culture

^{2025 "Rainforest and You" series of experiential activities}


HAIKOU, China, Dec. 3, 2025 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/--

Changjiang Li Autonomous County, situated in the heart of Hainan Island, recently hosted the 2025 "Rainforest and You" series of experiential activities. The event showcased the dynamic integration of the county's tropical rainforest conservation achievements with its rich ethnic cultural heritage through a diverse program, including on-site rainforest performances, charity hikes led by Olympic champions, adventurous rock climbing and river trekking, and international symposiums.

The event attracted distinguished guests and experts from leading global organizations such as UNESCO, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the U.S. National Park Service, and the Hainan Institute of National Park, as participants engaged in in-depth discussions on biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. The Chinese edition of the Global Resolution on Strengthening Gibbon Conservation through Collaborative Action  was released, contributing valuable insights into global ecological protection and sustainable development efforts. Besides, three Chinese Olympic champions, acting as volunteer educators for the National Park, led over 1,000 volunteers on a 10-km hike, advocating ecological conservation through concrete action.

In addition, Changjiang County also launched a series of premium rainforest tourism routes centered on its four ecological landmarks: Mt. Bawang, Wangxia Town, Qizi Bay, and Haiwei National Wetland Park. These itineraries integrate natural landscapes with cultural villages, offering global travelers an immersive experience of the unique ecological and cultural features characterized by the convergence of mountains and sea.

As the world's largest free trade port, Hainan boasts China's most concentrated, most diverse, best preserved, and most extensive mainland island tropical rainforest.

In recent years, the National Park of Hainan Tropical Rainforest has made significant progress in ecological restoration, green development, integrated education and conservation, and park-community synergy, effectively safeguarding the authenticity and integrity of this vital tropical rainforest ecosystem.

Most notably, the Hainan gibbon - classified by the IUCN as the "world's most endangered primate species" - has seen a remarkable recovery. Its population has rebounded from the brink of extinction to seven groups totaling 42 individuals, representing the only continuously growing gibbon population worldwide.

Source: The Organizing Committee of the 2025 "Rainforest and You" series of experiential activities