Thunes and UnionPay International launch instant payouts to cards in China

Thunes and UnionPay International (UPI) have expanded their partnership to enable instant cross-border payouts to UnionPay cards in mainland China. The service is available to financial institutions, payment service providers, and money transfer operators connected to the Thunes network.

Transfers can reach USD 10,000 per cardholder per day. The service covers UnionPay cards issued by 79 Chinese banks, including ICBC, ABC, Bank of China, CCB, BOCOM, and China Merchants Bank. The companies have identified countries across Africa, Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Thailand, and the US as key expansion corridors.

Higher limits for transfers to China

Inbound remittances to mainland China have historically faced low daily transaction limits. Senders moving larger personal amounts have often needed to split transfers over several days or use complex manual processes.

Thunes has integrated UPI’s increased daily payment limit into its payout infrastructure. Members of the network can now make real-time transfers of up to USD 10,000 per recipient cardholder per day. The higher limit lets businesses send larger amounts and allows consumers to complete family support payments in one transfer instead of several. This is intended to reduce operational steps and settlement delays.

Access to China’s card ecosystem through one API

The partnership connects Thunes’ Direct Global Network to UPI through a single API. According to the companies, Thunes Members can access China’s card ecosystem without high setup costs, strict eligibility requirements, or ongoing technical maintenance.

Thunes is an officially recognised strategic partner of UPI. It describes the service as a compliant, bank-grade route for Pay-to-Card payouts into mainland China. The direct connection is designed to reduce the risks of system outages, unauthorised routing, and service disruptions.

Chloé Mayenobe, Deputy CEO at Thunes, described the closer alignment with UPI as a significant shift in how money moves globally. She said direct-to-card payouts with higher limits address longstanding barriers in one of the world’s most dynamic payment corridors. The higher limits are intended to support Thunes Members’ growth and help financial institutions scale cross-border flows into China quickly and in compliance with requirements.