Global payment firm Ant International supported over 2 billion digital cross-border transactions in 2025 for merchants in its core emerging markets including Southeast Asia (SEA), South Asia, the Middle East and Latin America (LATAM), as the company builds out a broader range of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered digital financial and commerce solutions tailored to these regions’ diverse needs.

The firm said in a statement on Wednesday that it is focused on improving access to payments, credit, digital banking and cross-border connectivity in fast-growing but fragmented digital economies.

The company currently serves more than 150 million merchants globally, 90 percent of which are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

“In the world’s fastest growing emerging markets, real-world, trusted and scalable adoption of AI and other new technologies can unlock entirely new growth opportunities for businesses big and small,

“It is time for fintech innovators to convert access into real growth momentum. We will work even harder to put AI-powered digital payments, financing, commerce and cross-border solutions on the ground for entrepreneurs and communities with ever lower cost and ever stronger safety and security guardrails,” said Douglas Feagin, President of Ant International.

With strong leadership across Asia, Ant International said it will expand this connectivity to the Middle East and Latin America (LATAM).

Alipay+ will also empower e-wallet and super-app development in more markets to support the growth of local payments and fintech ecosystems.

While access to banking and financing remains a key challenge for SMEs, Bettr expanded credit services for over 30 million SMEs and individuals, and expanding across LATAM following a strategic investment in R2, the leading embedded lending infrastructure company in LATAM.

While investing in cutting-edge fintech innovations, Ant International said the firm is also focused on supporting effective, safe, and controlled adoption of AI in commerce to help merchants achieve measurable and scalable results.

While investing in cutting-edge fintech innovations, the firm is also focused on supporting effective, safe, and controlled adoption of AI in commerce to help merchants achieve measurable and scalable results.

It is noted that in SEA, where Ant International has worked with local partners for more than a decade, SMEs have seen measurable impact to their businesses.

Alipay+ continues to support the development of the region’s largest mobile platforms, including DANA (Indonesia), GCash (the Philippines), TrueMoney (Thailand) and TNG Digital (Malaysia), transforming financial transactions for hundreds of millions of consumers and businesses.

In 2025, 3 regional apps began to build own AI-driven super app with the support of Ant International's AI-as-a-Service platform, the GenAI Cockpit.

Alipay+ Voyager, an AI travel services agent, was launched successfully in 6 apps across Asia.

Alipay+ partners with 5 national QR payment networks in ASEAN – in Singapore and Malaysia, travelers spent 2.7 times and 2 times more respectively via SGQR and DuitNow QR, bringing real economic value to SMEs.

In Malaysia, travelers have used their home e-wallet or bank app to make payment at more than 360,000 SMEs across the country, enabling them to benefit from tourism growth.

Meanwhile, SEA super apps, like GCash, are the world’s first to begin wallet-to-card mobile payment integration with Alipay+’s NFC partnership with Mastercard to combine their merchant QR and POS networks.

2C2P under Antom also saw 38 percent year on year growth in transaction volume for merchants in SEA, driven by growth in the e-commerce, airline, OTA, and retail sectors, and marked by strong momentum in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

WorldFirst, with new entries into Malaysia and Thailand, also saw nearly 40 percent growth in transaction value in 2025 as more SEA SMEs take on global e-commerce.

It is also noted that Bettr provides credit tech solutions to four leading SEA mobile wallets, driving a 184 percent increase in user base.

ANEXT Bank in Singapore also saw a six-fold increase in cross-border transaction volumes, with 69 percent of its customers being micro-businesses.

“As digital economies across Southeast Asia and other developing markets continue to scale, Ant International remains focused on enabling access and fostering shared prosperity,

“We work with partners, governments and businesses to promote growth that is inclusive, sustainable and globally connected,” Feagin said.

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