Mastercard has partnered with LiaPay, a GCC payroll app operated by fintech company Liabify.

Under the deal, LiaPay will issue Mastercard prepaid cards giving salaried employees early access to earned wages.

Rollout will start in the UAE and Qatar, followed by Saudi Arabia and Oman.

Each employee will receive a Mastercard Platinum prepaid card linked to the LiaPay app.

With the card, workers can spend wages in stores, online and on cross-border remittances across the Mastercard network.

For security, the card includes built-in authentication and fraud protection.

Through its app, LiaPay provides payroll-embedded earned wage access (EWA) and an employee wallet.

These tools let workers use earned salary before payday without traditional credit.

According to the company, the service aligns with local Wage Protection Systems (WPS) and has backing from regulated financial institutions.

LiaPay is live, with Mawarid Finance as BIN sponsor and Paymentology as processor.

In addition, Liabify has an agreement with Deel and Anvin ERP covering over 200,000 employees in LiaPay’s network.

“The collaboration marks our entry into the payroll/EWA segment as the card partner of choice,”

said Muhammad Nana, Senior Vice President, Digital Partnerships, EEMEA at Mastercard.

“Every worker in the Gulf deserves dignified, instant access to the money they have already earned,”

said Dr Allan Villegas, Co-Founder and CEO at Liabify.

Beyond cards, the roadmap includes a loyalty and rewards platform and Mastercard Move, Mastercard’s money movement portfolio.

The companies say millions of GCC workers receive salaries through WPS yet remain underbanked, with limited access to everyday payment tools.

Against this backdrop, LiaPay uses payroll to offer employee financial services spanning payments, lending and future remittances.

Featured image: Edited by Fintech News UAE, based on image by Mastercard via its Press Release.