First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) Jaywan debit card is now live for domestic use, one of the first cards issued as the UAE begins putting its national payment scheme into customers' hands. First Abu Dhabi Bank — the largest lender in the UAE by assets — confirmed the launch on Monday, alongside Commercial Bank of Dubai, more than two years after the Jaywan system was launched.

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, chairman of the board of directors of the UAE Central Bank, announced the operational launch, according to state news agency Wam. Banks, financial institutions and licensed exchange houses have begun issuing Jaywan cards in stages, a rollout expected to continue over the coming months.

What Jaywan actually is

Jaywan is a national domestic card payment scheme, not a standalone global credit or debit card network. Under it, local transactions are routed through the UAE's own domestic payment infrastructure rather than foreign networks like Visa or Mastercard.

According to Al Etihad Payments — the country's national payments entity and a subsidiary of the UAE Central Bank — that routing lowers merchant processing fees and keeps financial value inside the country.

The model has precedent. Al Etihad Payments points to established national card schemes elsewhere: Interac in Canada, Bancomat in Italy, mada in Saudi Arabia, Troy in Turkey, and RuPay in India. The Jaywan initiative, launched in 2024, is aimed at boosting financial inclusion and reducing the cost of payments across the UAE.

How the FAB Jaywan debit card works

The FAB Jaywan debit card is currently available for domestic use as part of the national rollout. FAB says it lets customers make everyday payments and withdraw cash nationwide, with the card working across local merchant outlets, domestic online payments on UAE-based platforms, and ATMs across the UAE.

The card is fully integrated with FAB's digital banking ecosystem, so customers manage it through the FAB Mobile app — covering transaction monitoring, account management and digital servicing.

On security, FAB lists 3D Secure authentication and Chip and PIN technology for online and in-person transactions, plus tokenised wallet integration for payments through supported digital wallets and devices.

At the scheme level, the UAE Central Bank says Jaywan cards can be used for both domestic and international payment transactions, subject to applicable rules and regulations. The Wam report adds that all categories of Jaywan cards are accepted at point-of-sale terminals, e-commerce platforms, ATMs and digital wallets, supporting contactless payments, online purchases and cash withdrawals.

Cardholders are also offered benefits across travel, shopping, hospitality and lifestyle sectors "in co-operation with a number of strategic partners." Note that FAB describes its specific debit card as "currently available for domestic use," so international acceptance timing for this card is.

Who can get one, and how

The FAB Jaywan debit card is available to customers holding eligible FAB accounts. Existing FAB customers can apply through the FAB Mobile app or at FAB branches. Anyone who does not already hold a FAB account must open an eligible account before applying.

Elite and Private Banking clients may also apply through their relationship managers. Eligibility details such as account types, fees and card limits are.

Why it matters

The launch is a concrete step in a rollout that had been running on paper since 2024. Commercial Bank of Dubai launched prepaid Jaywan cards under a corporate arrangement for retail customers on the same day, and payment processor Network International said it had integrated Jaywan card acceptance into online payments.

Network International stated that "customers can now use their Jaywan cards across thousands of Network's online merchants in the UAE, with no additional fees for merchants on Jaywan transactions processed through the gateway."

Andrea Ciancetti, Chief Products Officer at Al Etihad Payments, called FAB's debit card launch "a critical milestone for the roll-out of the scheme." Khaled Balama, governor of the UAE Central Bank, described the broader launch as a "qualitative leap" in the development of payment services in the UAE.

For UAE consumers and merchants, the near-term test is whether keeping transaction routing domestic translates into the lower payment costs the scheme was built to deliver.