Users of 14 popular e-wallets from nine countries and regions can now make transactions in Hong Kong using their home applications, facilitated by Alipay+, Ant International announced on Friday.
This integration marks the largest single-time introduction of international payment apps into Hong Kong’s offline commercial network, per the announcement.
The e-wallets and bank apps brought to the city by Alipay+ include notable names such as MPay from Macao SAR, Changi Pay and OCBC Digital from Singapore, GCash and HelloMoney from the Philippines, Hipay from Mongolia, Kakao Pay, Naver Pay, and Toss Pay from South Korea, MyPB by Public Bank Berhad and Touch ‘n Go eWallet from Malaysia, TrueMoney from Thailand, and Tinaba from Italy.
Alongside the expansion, Alipay+ and its partners have initiated the Alipay+ Service Collaboration Mechanism in Hong Kong, aiming to enhance the cross-border payment experience, improve operational efficiency, and offer superior service to global digital wallet users and merchants through collaborative innovation.
This growth in service options coincides with an increase in inbound travel to Hong Kong, spurred by global campaigns from the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB).
The city has seen a surge in visitors, with over 34 million in 2023 and 11.23 million in the first quarter of 2024 alone, representing a 1.5 times increase year-on-year.
Executives from participating companies have expressed their enthusiasm for the expansion.
Jake Xue, General Manager for Global Business Service and Support at Ant International, emphasized the benefits of the Alipay+ Service Collaboration Mechanism in solving problems and creating value efficiently. He said:
Through this proactive Alipay+ Service Collaboration Mechanism, we can more efficiently solve problems, create greater user values, and help partners improve their operational efficiency.
Huang Ya’nan, Head of Outbound Travel at Alipay, noted the strong growth in outbound tourism from the Chinese mainland and ongoing collaborations to enhance the payment experience globally.
Regional representatives, including Won-Keun Shin from South Korean Kakao Pay and Alan Ni from Malaysian TNG eWallet, highlighted the high-quality payment experiences and steady growth since the introduction of overseas QR payment features.
Sunny Quek from Singapore’s OCBC Global Consumer Financial Services and Matteo Arpe from Italian Tinaba also underlined the expansion of global customer service capabilities and technological advancements through this partnership.
Alipay+, introduced in 2020 by Ant International, now connects over 88 million merchants across 57 countries to 1.5 billion consumer accounts worldwide, supporting hassle-free global travel and payments, and helping merchants engage international consumers digitally.
