The agreement highlights Billhop’s and UPI’s commitment to prioritising accessibility and adoption within the card payments sphere. UnionPay cardholders across the EEA and the UK will be able to access Billhop’s unique card payment solutions, developed to simplify payments and unlock better cash flow control by bridging the gaps around card acceptance rates.

The partnership enables UnionPay credit cardholders to pay almost any bill or supplier invoice accepted by Billhop, even when their end beneficiary does not accept card payments. The collaboration serves both private individuals and business customers of all sizes, who can now benefit from the two organisations’ joint commitment towards delivering exceptional payment experiences.

"This new partnership is particularly exciting as it enables a new and seamless card payment experience for UnionPay cardholders looking to pay bills and invoices with their preferred payment method. It also allows Billhop to extend our digital services to a wider, international customer base," said Niklas Bothén, COO at Billhop. "We believe that by increasing UnionPay’s card acceptance globally, the collaboration brings transformative value to Europe’s card payments landscape."

To date, UnionPay International’s innovative products are available in 96 countries and regions, with 190 million cards issued overseas. This new partnership is part of an ongoing commitment to strengthen global acceptance rates, which currently includes 181 countries and regions, and covers over 64 million merchants.

"With the enablement of Billhop platform, UnionPay cardholders are equipped with more flexibility for bill payment," said Han WANG, deputy manager of UnionPay International Europe branch. "The partnership also reflects UnionPay’s dedication of going localised in Europe region. We will continue the efforts of improving the payment service for daily consumption, and we are looking forward to develop a more vertical payment experience for our cardholders together with Billhop in the future."