The app of UnionPay (Chinese: 云闪付; pinyin: Yúnshǎnfù, lit.
'Cloud QuickPass') is a mobile and online payment service, developed and operated by UnionPay, the national Chinese bank card clearing service.
Launched in 2017,[1] it was designed to compete with the existing third-party Chinese mobile payment platforms, Alibaba Group's Alipay and Tencent's WeChat Pay.
Following that, the app has trailed in popularity behind its two major competitors, however, in 2021, the mandate by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) to open up the "walled garden" ecosystems of the major tech companies, has allowed for increasing interoperability of payment QR codes of Alipay and WeChat Pay in the process ongoing throughout 2021 and 2022.
[2] The UnionPay app is available for the following: As of 2021, it can be used internationally in contactless "tap-and-go" mode with supported point of sale terminals in 51 countries and regions, and in 33 countries and regions in when the QR code "scan-and-go" mode is used.