China’s Ant Group expands Alipay+ integrations in Thailand

• Ant Group said four mobile wallets supported by its payment system Alipay+ are now accepted in Thailand.
• The e-wallets include AlipayHK, Kakao Pay, Touch ‘n Go eWallet, and Alipay.

When Chinese tech giant Ant Group launched Alipay+, the intention was to provide a unified solution combining global cross-border mobile payments and digital marketing solutions. After all, it is not a mobile wallet or banking app. Instead, it partners with acquirers and payment service providers to connect merchants with consumers using multiple digital payment methods.

Today, Alipay+ is dubbed by many as a global cross-border transfer solutions giant. It serves over 2.5 million merchants worldwide, connecting businesses with over one billion consumers. Currently, Alipay+ has a primary base in Asia, where digital wallets continue to dominate e-commerce payments.

The latest development with the payments arm is that the four mobile wallets it supports are now accepted in Thailand. “These include AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR), Kakao Pay (South Korea), Touch ‘n Go eWallet (Malaysia) and Alipay (Chinese mainland), which has been accepted by Thai merchants since 2015,” Ant Group said in a statement.

For context, Alipay customer relationships remain with local wallets and acquirers while users pay through their payment provider’s native app. This means consumers can use their standard payment methods connected to the system to make QR code-based payments worldwide for online and offline purchases as they would pay locally.

“Enabled through Alipay+, the latest development and the addition of three more mobile wallets will expand the seamless digital travel experience for more Asian tourists visiting Thailand amid a rapid rebound in the local tourism industry,” Ant Group noted. 

To further strengthen its presence in Thailand, Ant Group has formed new collaborations with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to promote the Amazing Thailand campaign and to stimulate travel in Thailand. Ant Group said it would also provide digital solutions to local businesses, such as digitalization of service operations, digital marketing efficiency, and customer experience enhancement. 

“This is targeted at helping local merchants to engage tourists more effectively throughout their journey from pre-trip to post-trip. Local businesses can leverage solutions, including the Alipay+ D-storeTM, to build digital stores in mini-programs, leveraging digital platforms to reach and engage tourists,” the Chinese tech giant said. 

Alipay+ Offline Merchant Services’ general manager Dr. Cherry Huang shared that the payment arm focuses on onboarding more local merchants in sectors including travel, retail, hospitality, and F&B to integrate the Alipay+ solution.

Just two months before, Alipay+, through its partnership with Network for Electronic Transfers (NETS), also announced an integration into Singapore’s SGQR. With that, the Ant Group-owned payment solution becomes one of the available payment schemes at about 11,000 hawker stalls in Singapore. Users of Alipay+ partner e-wallets can pay via SGQR displayed at booths by opening their home e-wallet apps and scanning the SGQR.

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