Bir partners UnionPay to widen Azerbaijan card use

Bir has partnered with UnionPay International to expand acceptance of UnionPay cards in Azerbaijan, with the initial rollout covering online shopping and cash withdrawals.

UnionPay cardholders can now make online purchases at more than 1,000 merchants and withdraw cash at nearly 1,300 Birbank ATMs, according to the companies. The arrangement connects UnionPay's network with Birbank, the banking arm of Bir's wider consumer ecosystem.

The next stage will extend UnionPay acceptance across Birbank's point-of-sale network, allowing cardholders to use contactless and chip payments at physical merchant locations across the country. Birbank users are also expected to gain the option to transfer money directly to UnionPay cards.

Once the rollout is complete, the group expects to support UnionPay across ATMs, eCommerce, point-of-sale terminals and mobile point-of-sale devices. That would give Azerbaijan one of the broadest international card acceptance set-ups tied to a single domestic ecosystem.

The move comes as payment groups seek to widen their reach in markets between Europe and Asia. Azerbaijan has aimed to deepen its role as a corridor for trade, tourism and business, making card acceptance for international travellers and cross-border commerce a more important part of the retail and banking landscape.

UnionPay, a subsidiary of China's UnionPay, has been expanding outside its home market as Chinese travel and commercial links grow across multiple regions. For local merchants in Azerbaijan, wider acceptance of the network could open access to more international customers without separate technical arrangements for each outlet.

Bir combines banking, payments and eCommerce services under one structure. Its ecosystem includes Birbank, the Birmarket eCommerce platform, Milliön payment terminals and the m10 e-wallet app, and serves more than 5 million users, according to the company.

Payments push

The partnership also reflects a broader effort by domestic financial groups to link local payment infrastructure with international card networks. In practice, that can widen payment choice for visitors, support merchants serving overseas customers and strengthen the country's links to regional spending flows.

Jalal Orujov, Chief Executive Officer of Payments at Bir, said the deal fits the group's long-term strategy.

"We are continuously investing in building a future-ready payments infrastructure that connects Azerbaijan with the world's leading payment ecosystems. Our partnership with China's UnionPay represents another important step in that strategy. By enabling UnionPay acceptance across our acquiring network, we are making Azerbaijan more accessible for international visitors while helping local businesses serve customers from around the world with greater convenience," Orujov said.

For UnionPay International, the agreement expands its acceptance footprint in the Caucasus while linking it with a domestic platform spanning banking, retail payments and eCommerce. That structure could help the network gain broader day-to-day use across several payment channels rather than a single product line.

Wang Lixin said the partnership forms part of UnionPay's wider regional expansion.

"We are pleased to partner with Bir to further expand UnionPay's acceptance network in Azerbaijan. This collaboration strengthens payment connectivity between Azerbaijan and Asia and enables UnionPay cardholders to enjoy a convenient, secure and seamless payment experience whether withdrawing cash, shopping online or, soon, making purchases at merchants across the country. We look forward to working with the Bir ecosystem to support growing cross-border travel, trade and commercial exchanges," Lixin said.

Bir was launched to bring together several established consumer brands in Azerbaijan under a single ecosystem. Alongside its own services, it has formed ties with the Trendyol marketplace and the BakıKart transport payment system as it builds a broader digital consumer offering in the country.