Kyrgyzstan’s Interbank Processing Center has partnered with Alipay+, the wallet gateway under Singapore-headquartered Ant International, to launch international QR payment services for users of the ELCARD Mobile app, with the support of the National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic.

In a statement on Thursday, Ant International said the launch can help users in Kyrgyzstan make cross-border payments across the Alipay+ merchant ecosystem worldwide using the ELCARD Mobile app. The launch was officiated by Almaz Baketaev, Chairman of the National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic, according to the statement.

Altymysh Turatbekov, Chairman of Kyrgyzstan’s National Interbank Processing Center, emphasized the partnership is a strategically important step for Kyrgyzstan’s payments industry and part of a broader effort to build a national digital platform capable of integrating the country into the global financial ecosystem.

Pan Yan, Head of Strategic Partnership for Alipay+ at Ant International, noted that interoperable digital payment systems are essential to enabling inclusive growth and helping local economies participate more fully in global commerce.

The partnership expands Alipay+’s collaboration with national payment systems across Central Asia and the Middle East, following similar arrangements with HUMO in Uzbekistan, mada in Saudi Arabia, and BENEFIT in Bahrain. Alipay+ currently connects more than 2 billion user accounts through 50 international payment partners to more than 150 million merchants across 220 markets worldwide.

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