Users of 14 popular overseas e-wallets from nine countries and regions can now make payments in Hong Kong using their home apps through Alipay+, a suite of cross-border mobile payment and digitalization technology solutions operated by Ant International, the firm said Friday.
The firm said in a statement that the e-wallets and bank apps newly brought to the city by Alipay+ include MPay (Macao SAR, China), Changi Pay and OCBC Digital (Singapore), GCash and HelloMoney (The Philippines), Hipay (Mongolia), Kakao Pay, Naver Pay and Toss Pay (South Korea), MyPB by Public Bank Berhad and Touch ‘n Go eWallet (Malaysia), TrueMoney (Thailand), and Tinaba (Italy).
This represents the largest number of international payment apps introduced to the city’s offline commercial network through cross-border cooperation at a single time.
Meanwhile, Alipay+ and its wallet partners have also announced to create a joint mechanism on customer services — Alipay+ Service Collaboration Mechanism — in Hong Kong to support partners in improving cross-border payment experiences, enhancing operational efficiency, and providing better services to global digital wallet users and merchants through operational collaboration and product innovation.
It is noted that since 2023, Hong Kong has seen a continued growth of inbound travelers following the launch of global campaigns by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) to welcome visitors from all around the world.
In 2023, more than 34 million travelers visited Hong Kong, and in the first quarter of 2024, a total of 11.23 million visitor arrivals were recorded in.
This represents 1.5 times year-on-year increment and demonstrates the continued and gradual growth of visitor arrivals.
“Through this proactive Alipay+ Service Collaboration Mechanism, we can more efficiently solve problems, create greater user values, and help partners improve their operational efficiency,” said Jake Xue, General Manager for Global Business Service and Support, Ant International.
Meanwhile, Huang Ya’nan, Head of Outbound Travel of Alipay, said that as the outbound tourism on the Chinese mainland is showing strong growth momentum, in 2024, the firm has collaborated with millions of merchants worldwide to continuously launch new campaigns and offerings to enrich users’ payment experience and help merchant partners’ business growth.
South Korean Kakao Pay Chief Executive Officer Won-Keun Shin said that through this expansion, they expect to provide a high-quality payment experience for both Korean users and Hong Kong merchants.
Malaysian TNG eWallet Chief Executive Officer Alan Ni als noted that since the introduction of the firm’s overseas QR payment feature in Hong Kong in October 2023, the firm has observed steady growth.
Singaporean OCBC Global Consumer Financial Services Head Sunny Quek, on the other hand, said that the bank’s partnership with Alipay+ has significantly expanded the number of countries in which its customers can use OCBC Digital to make cross-border payments.
Italian Tinaba Chairman Matteo Arpe also said that this partnership not only reaffirms Tinaba as the leading European operator but also distinguishes the firm as the sole provider in Italy of this advanced technology.
South Korean Toss Pay Business Head Jae-Ho Choi said that with a strong partnership with Alipay+, Toss Pay will expand its business in the global payment sector.
Introduced by Ant International in 2020, Alipay+ now connects over 88 million merchants in 57 countries and regions to 1.5 billion consumer accounts across more
than 25 e-wallets and bank apps, allowing consumers to travel and pay hassle-free globally, and merchants to expand cross-border consumer engagement and digital marketing.
The service also builds on Alipay+’s extensive regional partnerships, including collaborations with national QR schemes including Singapore’s SGQR, Malaysia’s PayNet, South Korea’s ZeroPay, Sri Lanka’s LankaPay and Cambodia’s KHQR.
In addition to Hong Kong, Alipay+ partner wallets have already been accepted at various major global destinations including the Chinese mainland and Macao SAR, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, The Philippines, South Korea, Japan, Europe and the Middle East.
Ant Group now offers two mobile payment alternatives for overseas visitors in the Chinese mainland.
A total of 11 overseas e-wallets and bank apps have already been enabled for payment at Alipay+’s extensive network of 80 million merchants in the Chinese mainland.