Singapore’s Ant International has added Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Bank to its Alipay+ payment network as the gateway’s first banking partner in Hong Kong, allowing Hang Seng Mobile App users to make QR code payments at more than 100 million merchants across more than 55 countries and regions.

In a statement on Friday, Ant International said after the latest expansion, Alipay+ now connects more than 50 digital wallets and financial institutions and is accepted in more than 220 markets globally.

It partners with more than 10 national QR systems including Malaysia’s DuitNow, Thailand’s PromptPay, and Uzbekistan’s HUMO. Banks in several Southeast Asian markets have already connected to the network, namely Public Bank Berhad in Malaysia; Bank of the Philippine Islands and Asia United Bank in the Philippines; OCBC in Singapore; Kasikorn Bank and Siam Commercial Bank in Thailand; and Vietcombank in Vietnam.

Ant International said outbound cross-border payment volume from Asia Pacific across consumer-to-consumer and consumer-to-business channels could reach $3.7 trillion by 2032, nearly doubling from 2024 levels, according to the company’s own research. The company said the Alipay+ model allows banks to offer cross-border payment services through a single integration rather than establishing individual agreements with merchants in each target market.

Beyond payments, banks can expand their app functionality through Alipay+’s Super App Platform by integrating mini-programs and plug-in solutions covering services such as travel bookings and social features.

Ant International also offers banks two additional platform services. Its Falcon TST AI FX model makes long-term foreign exchange forecasts with up to 93 percent accuracy and is used by Citi and Barclays. Its AI-powered blockchain platform Whale enables near-instant, around-the-clock cross-border liquidity transfer, with Standard Chartered and HSBC among its integration partners.

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