Citi Launches Smart Subscriptions in UAE With Mastercard

Citi launches Mastercard’s Smart Subscriptions in the UAE, giving cardholders a way to track and manage recurring payments inside its banking app. Citi has launched this service as the global debut market for the bank’s subscription-management feature and the first Mastercard deployment of its kind for a bank in the Middle East.

Managing Digital Payments with Smart Subscriptions

The complimentary feature allows Citi cardholders to view and manage digital subscriptions directly through the Citi Mobile App. This covers recurring payments for services such as streaming platforms and meal deliveries, bringing payments into the same digital channel customers already use for banking.

Also Read: Sharjah Integrates Jaywan Card Into Government Payments 

The feature is powered by Ethoca, a Mastercard company, and connects banks, merchants and consumers to provide greater visibility into subscription payments. Customers can identify subscription-based transactions linked to their cards and access itemized digital receipts from hundreds of participating merchants.

Benefits for Banks and Merchants

For banks, Mastercard says the technology can help reduce operational complexity and subscription-related disputes while increasing customer engagement. Mastercard reports that issuers using this technology have seen an average 10% increase in customer spending on subscriptions.

For merchants, the system is designed to reduce chargebacks, limit unnecessary payment stops and support customer retention. The launch comes as UAE consumers show strong interest in having subscription controls built directly into their banking experience.

Consumer Demand for Banking Tools

A 2026 Forrester Consulting survey commissioned by Mastercard found that 53% of UAE consumers said subscription-management challenges had led them to track their expenses more closely. Meanwhile, 78% said they were interested in subscription-management tools from their bank or card issuer, while 81% said they would trust their bank more if it offered such tools.

The study also found that 84% of UAE consumers would be more likely to use a subscription-management tool if it came from their bank or card issuer. In comparison, 83% said easy, embedded cancellation options would encourage them to use one. For Citi, the UAE launch gives the bank a testing ground for a feature it plans to scale beyond the market.

Shamsa Al-Falasi, CEO of Citibank N.A. UAE, said the launch reflects the bank's focus on digital capabilities and its decision to debut the solution globally from the UAE. The move also gives Mastercard a regional deployment for this service, designed to embed directly into digital banking channels rather than operate as a separate consumer service.

Why it matters to MENA Fintech

The launch points to a broader shift in digital banking where banks are increasingly competing on the tools they build around payments. Subscription management turns transaction data into a consumer-facing service, giving customers more visibility into recurring spending while giving banks another way to deepen engagement through their existing apps.

For the UAE, being selected as Citi's global launch market also reinforces the country's role as a testing ground for new financial technology products before wider rollout.