Mastercard and LiaPay Team Up on Prepaid Cards for Early Wage Access in the Gulf

The rollout will start in the UAE and Qatar, followed by Saudi Arabia and Oman, the companies said. The deal gives Mastercard a foothold in earned wage access across the region, where millions of workers are paid through government Wage Protection Systems but remain underbanked, according to the companies.

Each employee in the programme will receive a Mastercard Platinum prepaid card linked to the LiaPay app, which can be used in shops, online and for cross-border remittances on Mastercard's network. LiaPay's app offers payroll-embedded earned wage access and an employee wallet, letting workers draw on salary already earned without taking traditional credit.

The company says the service is aligned with local Wage Protection Systems and backed by regulated financial institutions. LiaPay is already live, with Mawarid Finance as the sponsor of the card programme's issuing bank identification number and Paymentology as processor. Mawarid Finance and Liabify launched the product in the UAE earlier this year, pitching it at middle-income workers.

Liabify also has an agreement with Deel and Anvin ERP that covers more than 200,000 employees in LiaPay's network, the companies said.

"The collaboration marks our entry into the payroll/EWA segment as the card partner of choice," said Muhammad Nana, senior vice president for digital partnerships in Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa at Mastercard.

"Every worker in the Gulf deserves dignified, instant access to the money they have already earned," said Allan Villegas, co-founder and chief executive of Liabify.

The companies did not disclose fees for the wage access service or a timetable for the Saudi and Omani launches. Their roadmap includes a loyalty and rewards platform and integration with Mastercard Move, the card network's money movement services, and LiaPay plans to use payroll data to offer lending and, later, remittance services.