UnionPay International is to expand prepaid card issuance worldwide through a partnership with Rêv Worldwide. As part of the agreement, Rêv has become a registered non-bank third party service provider for UnionPay-branded prepaid products. The partners will make their products and services available to issuing banks and other partners interested in prepaid products.

UnionPay International, the international arm of Shanghai, China-based card scheme China UnionPay, will bring its issuer network, Chinese merchant acceptance network and corporate relationships to the partnership, while Rêv will provide its global processing platform, prepaid product set, mobile technology and program management services.

Austin, Texas-based Rêv's proprietary processing platform offers integrated services for prepaid travel, mobile and general-purpose reloadable prepaid debit cards.

"Given UnionPay's history of exponential growth and geographic expansion, we have the opportunity to redefine the prepaid landscape by offering their branded options to banks and other partners looking to capture the category's increasing opportunity," John Mitchell, Rêv Worldwide's CEO, said in a news release.

Through agreements with more than 200 associations worldwide, UnionPay International's network has enabled UnionPay Card acceptance in more than 140 countries to date. UnionPay International said it has issued 25 million UnionPay-branded cards in 30 countries, and has partnered with more than 60 domestic and foreign banks.

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