GHL Systems Berhad (GHL), a Malaysia-based payment solution provider, is partnering with Alipay+, a global cross-border digital payments and marketing solution, to enable foreign travelers visiting Malaysia to pay using their domestic mobile e-wallets at over 40,000 retail outlets.

An offering of Ant Group, Alipay+ is designed to enable global businesses, especially small and medium-sized businesses, to accept a wide range of mobile payment methods from various countries and regions, and better serve global consumers through simple technical adaption, GHL said in a statement on Monday

GHL Malaysia’s Chief Executive Officer Kevin Lee said built on GHL’s long-term partnership with Ant Group, the latest collaboration with Alipay+ will further strengthen the firms shared goal of enhancing customers’ experience by providing convenience in their payment journey, as well as helping their merchants especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), increase business opportunities as Malaysia reopens its borders.

“We look forward to working closely with Alipay+ to continue expanding and offering the most comprehensive payments methods to all of our merchants across the region,” he added.

With increasing foot traffic and economic activities back on stream following the reopening of borders and removal of travel restrictions, a frictionless payment experience is crucial to improve customer experience.

Coming on board as a launch partner, GHL merchant and top regional lifestyle tea brand Tealive is enabling 800 outlets in Malaysia to immediately accept payments by e-wallet partners of Alipay+.

The Alipay+ integration will further support Tealive’s efforts in improving customer convenience as well as strengthening its digital strategy.

Ng Yau Chuan, Chief Marketing and Digital Officer of Loob Holding Sdn Bhd, which owns the Tealive brand, said Tealive is among the earliest adopters of the convenient e-wallet payment well before the pandemic.

“Integration with Alipay+ is another key effort for Tealive to ‘breakthrough’ and deliver greater convenience to our customers. We are very excited and look forward to having stronger relationships with them,” he added.

Commenting on the partnership, Cherry Huang, General Manager for Global Merchant Partnership, South and Southeast Asia, Ant Group said the pandemic has accelerated the adoption and preference towards digital payments among consumers, more apparently so in developing Southeast Asian countries which were cash-dominant in the past.

“Through working with local partners like GHL, we are committed to helping local merchants to further digitalize their payment functions and to achieve better operational efficiency and customer engagement with digital solutions like Alipay+, at the same time, creating a more seamless payment experience for the emerging mobile-first consumers,” he added.

As of October 2022, GHL has integrated Alipay+ solutions to over 40,000 merchant touchpoints in Malaysia.

Users of Alipay+’s partnering mobile wallets can look out for the Alipay+ signage at all GHL merchants including Billion, Econsave, Eraman, Family Mart, Lotus’s, Mr DIY, MyNews, Village Grocer, Orange Convenient Store, Tealive and TF Value, and scan to pay with their home mobile wallets.

GHL is an ASEAN’s payment solutions provider reach spans across six countries; Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Australia – stretching over a vast footprint of over 402,400 payment touchpoints across the region.

The firm is the leading payment acquirer in ASEAN for over 100 global and regional payment schemes and channels, processing over MYR1.5 billion ($320 million) payment transactions per month.

Apart from being Malaysia’s largest prepaid credit top up and bill collection network, GHL aspires to catalyse sustainable livelihood of the micro small medium entrepreneurs (MSMEs) through financial and non-financial value-added services.

The firm is a listed company with a market capitalization of over MYR1.1 billion ($230 million) as of November 5. The firm has been listed on Bursa Malaysia since 2003.

Alipay+ offers unified global mobile payment and marketing solutions that connect merchants with multiple e-wallets and payment methods from different countries and regions by collaborating with global partners.

The platform is developed by Ant Group, the owner and operator of Alipay, one of the world’s leading digital open platforms.

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