The Bir Ecosystem, the first fully integrated banking, payments, and e-commerce ecosystem in the Caucasus, today announced a strategic partnership with UnionPay International, a subsidiary of China's UnionPay. This partnership significantly expands the UnionPay card acceptance network across Azerbaijan, marking an important step in strengthening the country's ties with the global payment ecosystem.
Following the successful completion of the first phase of the partnership, UnionPay cardholders can now make online purchases at over 1,000 merchant locations and withdraw cash from nearly 1,300 Birbank ATMs. Birbank is part of the Bir Ecosystem, which also includes the e-commerce platform Birmarket, payment terminals Milliön, and the e-wallet m10.
In the coming months, Birbank will continue to expand the UnionPay card acceptance network through its point-of-sale (POS) terminals, allowing cardholders to seamlessly make contactless and chip payments at thousands of physical retail locations across Azerbaijan. Additionally, Birbank users will gain the ability to transfer money to UnionPay cards. After full implementation, Bir will support UnionPay across all major acquiring channels—ATMs, e-commerce, POS terminals, and mobile POS devices—creating one of the largest international acquiring infrastructures in Azerbaijan.
This partnership comes at a time when Azerbaijan continues to strengthen its role as a regional hub for trade, tourism, and business, connecting Europe and Asia. By expanding the acceptance network of one of the world's leading payment systems, the Bir Ecosystem simplifies seamless payments across the country for millions of foreign guests with UnionPay cards. At the same time, it helps Azerbaijani entrepreneurs reach a broader international customer base without the need for additional integrations.
Jalal Orujov, Head of Payment Business at Bir, commented: "We are constantly investing in building the payment infrastructure of the future that connects Azerbaijan with leading global payment ecosystems. Our partnership with China's UnionPay is another important step in implementing this strategy. By enabling UnionPay card acceptance in our acquiring network, we make Azerbaijan more accessible for foreign guests and help local businesses serve customers from around the world with even greater convenience."
Wang Lixin, CEO of UnionPay International, added: "We are delighted to cooperate with Bir to further expand the UnionPay card acceptance network in Azerbaijan. This collaboration strengthens payment links between Azerbaijan and Asia, allowing UnionPay cardholders to enjoy convenient, secure, and seamless payment services—whether withdrawing cash, shopping online, or soon paying at retail locations across the country. We look forward to continuing our work with the Bir Ecosystem to support the growing volume of cross-border travel, trade, and commercial exchange."