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Careem Pay Launches UAE–Jordan International Remittance
UAE residents can now transfer money to Jordanian bank accounts via the Careem Pay app, enjoying fast transactions, competitive rates, and low fees.
Careem Pay, the digital payments service integrated within the Careem app, has expanded its international money transfer offerings by launching direct bank transfers from the UAE to Jordan. The new service responds to demand from the UAE’s substantial Jordanian expatriate community, who send over USD 1 billion annually to support family, education, and personal investments back home.
Jordan joins an established network of popular remittance destinations already supported by Careem Pay, including India, Pakistan, Egypt, Lebanon, the UK, Europe, and the Philippines. The introduction of this service coincides with increased activity around Arafah Day and Eid Al Adha, when remittances typically spike as expats send money home for charity and festive preparations.
Mohammad El Saadi, Vice President of Careem Pay, highlighted the importance of this service: “Sending money home is one of the most meaningful things our customers do with Careem Pay. For many Jordanian expats, it’s about supporting loved ones, covering school fees, or helping parents with everyday expenses. We wanted to make that process simpler, faster, and more affordable”.
To mark the launch, Careem Pay is offering first-time users zero-fee transfers for their first two transactions to Jordan. Regular users can transfer up to AED 25,000 per transaction for a fixed fee of AED 10, while Careem Plus members enjoy zero fees on transfers above AED 1,500, along with reduced charges for smaller amounts. Additionally, Careem Plus subscribers gain benefits across other Careem services, including discounted rides and free food and grocery deliveries.
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Funds sent via Careem Pay arrive within 24 hours on average — providing a speed comparable to traditional exchange houses — and are directly credited in Jordanian Dinars to any valid Jordanian International Bank Account Number (IBAN). This streamlined process underscores Careem Pay’s commitment to simplifying financial transactions for its users.
To start sending money to Jordan or explore other remittance corridors, users simply need to download the latest Careem app update and select the “Send Money” feature directly from the home screen.
News
Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon
Foreign visitors will be the first users to benefit, but whether Syria’s own banks and cardholders follow is still an open question.
Visa is returning to Syria. Its first live international card transaction in the country was a test rather than a launch, and the milestone event ran through a Lebanese bank.
The acquirer (the bank on the merchant’s side of a card payment) was Fransabank Lebanon, with Paymera as the other named partner. Nadim Moujaes, who heads a Fransabank Group subsidiary, describes the test as both the culmination of “longstanding efforts to link Syria back to international payment networks” and “the first step in a larger path”.
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa makes the first electronic payment in Syria using a @Visa card at a store in Damascus, following the lifting of US sanctions on Syria. pic.twitter.com/lpAN7nQ6Fc
— Tech Magazine (@TechMGZN) August 27, 2026
“We are excited to have successfully tested live transactions today as we plan to enable international visitors to use their Visa cards while in Syria,” says Leila Serhan, Visa’s senior vice president and group country manager for the North Africa, Levant and Pakistan region. Although a significant first step, that plan doesn’t come with a hard date for when a visitor’s card will work normally.
Mohammed Safwat Raslan, governor of the Central Bank of Syria, says the test paves the way for international card acceptance in Syria and that maintaining strong compliance, risk management and operational controls will remain essential. Serhan likewise stresses that Visa has worked within applicable legal, regulatory and compliance requirements. For a test transaction, it seems there was a great deal of attention paid to the rules, with the entire operation being carefully managed.
Also Read: Lebanon’s 5G Era Begins With 150 Stations And A $1M Budget
The test is the latest step in a sequence that began in December 2025, when Visa announced a strategic roadmap to support Syria’s integration into the global digital economy. In February 2026 it hosted its first industry gathering of banks, ecosystem partners and policymakers in Damascus and, the same month, signed an agreement with Syria’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in San Francisco.
Michel Kattouah, Paymera’s CEO, called the test “the return of international card acceptance,” but while that’s positive news, there’s no word yet on when a Syrian bank will issue a Visa card to a Syrian customer.
Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon
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