Ant Group Launches Partnership on International Consumer Friendly Zones Program in China, Partnering With Global E-wallets, Card Organizations

• Through a partnership with Alipay+, NayaPay becomes the first fintech platform in Pakistan to enable its users to pay at 80 million merchants in China directly through their NayaPay app.
• With continued expansion of the partnership with e-wallets and major card organizations, Ant International introduces a new nationwide initiative to build International Consumer Friendly Zones across China’s main tourist and commercial cities to encourage local consumption through seamless cross-border payment experience.

BEIJING & KARACHI, Pakistan–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Ant Group, along with 11 overseas payment partners of Alipay+ and major international card organizations, launched in Beijing a nationwide Program to build International Consumer Friendly Zones across major Chinese tourist and commercial cities, with the support of relevant authorities and local governments. Working with local merchants, tourism sites and commercial districts, the Program aims to enhance international visitors’ experience and drive business for local merchants.

Ant Group now offers 2 mobile payment alternatives for overseas visitors in China. Alipay+, a suite of cross-border mobile payment and digitalization technology solutions under Ant International, enables overseas consumers to pay with their home e-wallets across China. Travelers may also choose to bind major international bank cards, including Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Discover®, and Diners Club International to an Alipay app to access a rich array of local Alipay services from shopping, dining, ride-hailing to public transportation while in the Chinese mainland, without needing 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 enhance accessibility and convenience of the two mobile payment options for international visitors. Emphasis will be placed on refining these services at locations most frequented by travelers, including key transportation hubs as well as tourism attractions, hotels, and shopping districts. Initial efforts will focus on expanding bilingual support, offering comprehensive user guides, and bolstering merchant training to ensure a seamless and welcoming experience for global consumers.

At the launch, Alipay+ jointly announced with NayaPay, Pakistan’s leading fintech platform, that NayaPay users will be able to make payments with their e-money account at Alipay+’s extensive network of 80 million merchants in China, as bilateral trade and visits increase.

NayaPay thus becomes the 11th overseas and 1st Pakistani payments platform to “roam” in China, following 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 rolling out extensive merchant and consumer education and marketing campaigns.

Danish A. Lakhani, CEO NayaPay, said, “Today marks a monumental milestone in the commercial relationship between China and Pakistan as we witness the establishment of the first direct payment channels between our two nations. This groundbreaking development is made possible through 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. This achievement not only paves the way for a new era of financial transactions but also symbolizes joint innovation between our nations.”

YIN Xiaolong, Vice President, General Manager at Visa Mainland China, said, “As the trusted engine of the commerce, Visa is committed to collaborating with partners to improve payment experience for international tourists. They can choose the ways to pay with Visa in accordance with their preferences and needs, no matter using international cards, local e-wallets or cash. We believe the convenient and seamless payment experience will boost economies where individuals, businesses and communities can thrive and promote people-to-people exchanges.”

Chao Zhan, Vice President of NUCC of China (NetsUnion Clearing Corporation), said that NUCC will actively provide interconnection clearing support for mobile payment services by market institutions both from home and abroad. Going forward, NUCC will continue to support the two payment services: binding international cards to domestic payment apps and the use of overseas e-wallets in China.

Jake Xue, General Manager, Global Business Services, Ant Group, said, “Seamless payment and consumer experience is critical for international travel as well as for broader cultural and economic exchange. Building on the International Consumer Friendly Zones program and more travel innovations, we will work with partners home and abroad to expand cross-border technology and service cooperation to support our new payment facilitation and opening initiatives.”

Introduced in 2020, Alipay+ now connects over 88 million merchants in 57 countries and regions to 1.5 billion consumer accounts on over 25 e-wallets and banking apps, allowing consumers to travel and pay worry-free globally, and merchants to boost revenue through a growing portfolio of digitalization tools.

About Alipay+

Alipay+ is a suite of cross-border mobile payment and digitalization technology solutions that help connect global merchants to consumers. Consumers enjoy seamless payment and a broad choice of deals using their preferred payment methods while travelling abroad. Small and medium-sized businesses may use Alipay+ digital tools to enhance efficiency and achieve omni-channel growth.

About Ant Group

Ant Group traces its roots back to Alipay, which was established in 2004 to create trust between online sellers and buyers. Over the years, Ant Group has grown to become one of the world’s leading open Internet platforms. Through technological innovation, Ant Group supports its partners in providing inclusive, convenient digital life and digital financial services to consumers and SMEs. In addition, it has been introducing new technologies and products to support the digital transformation of industries and facilitate industrial collaboration. Working together with global partners, the company enables merchants and consumers to make and receive payments and remit around the world.

About NayaPay

NayaPay, the first E-Money Institution in Pakistan, is a fintech platform empowering underserved consumers and SMBs with better access to financial services. NayaPay has built a community of students, freelancers, and digital natives for its consumer proposition — a chat-led super app accompanied by free Visa Virtual and physical cards. Any Pakistani citizen can open a NayaPay wallet on their smartphone in minutes and use the app to make everyday payments, send and receive money, split bills, and much more. For entrepreneurs, NayaPay offers access to business accounts, universal payment acceptance and powerful financial management tools with an easy-to-open e-money account and Visa debit cards.

NayaPay is authorized and regulated by the State Bank of Pakistan as an Electronic Money Institution. For more information please visit: www.nayapay.com or follow the company on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Contacts

Media Inquiries
Martin Mou

globalcomms@antgroup.com

Khazina Siddiqui

media@nayapay.com

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