dLocal Joins UATP One as Payment Processing Partner

In Short

• UATP has added dLocal as a new payment processing partner for UATP One.
• The partnership is live and covers more than 60 countries across Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia.
• Airlines and travel merchants on UATP One get another option for local acquiring, meaning they can accept in-country payments more easily.

What Happened: dLocal Payment Processing Added To UATP One

UATP has named dLocal as the newest payment processing partner for UATP One. dLocal is a cross-border payments platform that helps global merchants collect money in emerging markets.

For UATP One users, the key change is access to local payment processing across dLocal’s network. Local processing, also called local acquiring, means a card or wallet payment is handled inside the country where the customer is paying, instead of being routed internationally. This often reduces fees and lowers declines.

UATP said airlines and travel merchants use UATP One as a single connection into local payment infrastructure. In practice, it is meant to reduce operational work for payments, such as managing different processors, settlement flows, and compliance steps market by market.

dLocal also highlighted indirect airline sales channels. It said the tie-up can support BSP flows, which are the billing and settlement systems airlines use to reconcile tickets sold through travel agencies.

Why It Matters: Africa Travel Payments Need Local Methods

For Africa, the partnership is another sign that global travel payment stacks are prioritising local payment methods. These include mobile money, bank transfers, and domestic card rails that travellers already use.

UATP pointed to industry forecasts that rank Africa among the faster-growing air travel regions over the long term. As passenger growth shifts toward emerging markets, conversion rates, meaning the share of bookings that successfully get paid, can depend heavily on whether checkout supports trusted local options.

For dLocal, UATP provides access to a network of airlines and corporate travel buyers, which could add processing volume over time. For UATP One, the extra acquiring option can help merchants expand coverage without integrating a new payments setup for each country.