In a groundbreaking collaboration, Ant Group has forged a partnership with NayaPay, along with 11 overseas payment partners of Alipay+, and major international card organizations, launching a nationwide program in Beijing. This strategic alliance positions NayaPay as the first fintech platform in Pakistan to enable users to make payments within the Alipay+ network, comprising 80 million merchants in China. This initiative comes at a time when bilateral trade and visits between the two countries are on the rise.
The program, in conjunction with local merchants, tourism sites, and commercial districts, aims to enhance the experience of international visitors and stimulate business for local merchants. Ant Group now offers two mobile payment alternatives for overseas visitors in China. Alipay+ by Ant International provides a suite of cross-border mobile payment and digitalization technology solutions, allowing overseas consumers to use their home e-wallets across China. Additionally, travelers have the option to link major international bank cards, such as Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Discover®, and Diners Club International, to the Alipay app, granting access to a wide range of local services including shopping, dining, ride-hailing, and public transportation without requiring a local bank account or phone number.
As part of the International Consumer Friendly Zones program, Ant Group will collaborate closely with partners to significantly improve the accessibility and convenience of the two mobile payment options for international visitors. Efforts will focus on enhancing services at locations frequented by travelers, including key transportation hubs, tourism attractions, hotels, and shopping districts. Initial steps will involve expanding bilingual support, providing comprehensive user guides, and enhancing merchant training to ensure a seamless and welcoming experience for global consumers.
With this collaboration, NayaPay becomes the 11th overseas and the first Pakistani payments platform to extend its services into China, joining the ranks of AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR, China), Changi Pay (Singapore), HiPay (Mongolia), Kakao Pay (South Korea), MPay (Macao SAR, China), Naver Pay (South Korea), OCBC Digital (Singapore), Toss Pay (South Korea), Touch ‘n’ Go eWallet (Malaysia), and TrueMoney (Thailand). To welcome overseas travelers, Ant Group, in collaboration with partners, has been implementing extensive merchant and consumer education and marketing campaigns.
Danish A. Lakhani, CEO of NayaPay, expressed the significance of this collaboration in fostering commercial ties between China and Pakistan, marking a milestone in financial transactions between the two nations. This achievement is attributed to the collaborative efforts of Ant Group, NUCC, and NayaPay, under the auspices of the People’s Bank of China and the State Bank of Pakistan, symbolizing joint innovation between the two countries.
YIN Xiaolong, Vice President, General Manager at Visa mainland China, highlighted Visa’s commitment to enhancing payment experiences for international tourists, emphasizing the importance of convenient and seamless payment experiences in promoting economic exchange and people-to-people interactions.
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Chao Zhan, Vice President of NUCC of China (NetsUnion Clearing Corporation), emphasized NUCC’s commitment to providing interconnection clearing support for mobile payment services by market institutions both domestically and abroad. The focus will be on improving the continuity of binding international cards to domestic payment apps, expanding the availability of overseas e-wallets, and increasing the acceptance of mobile payment services for international visitors.
Jake Xue, General Manager of Global Business Services at Ant Group, emphasized the critical role of seamless payment and consumer experiences in international travel and broader cultural and economic exchange. He highlighted plans to expand cross-border technology and service cooperation to support new payment facilitation and opening initiatives, building on the International Consumer Friendly Zones program and other travel innovations introduced by Ant Group.
Introduced in 2020, Alipay+ connects over 88 million merchants in 57 countries and regions to 1.5 billion consumer accounts on over 25 e-wallets and banking apps, enabling worry-free global travel for consumers and revenue enhancement for merchants through a growing portfolio of digitalization tools.
