Ant Group Reports Surge in International Visitors Using Mobile Payment Services
Ant Group has announced a significant increase in international visitors using its mobile payment services in China, with usage quadrupling over the past six months. This growth follows the launch of the International Consumer Friendly Zones program in March 2024, which has now expanded to 70 cities in China. The announcement was made by Cyril Han, President and CFO of Ant Group, at the 2024 INCLUSION Conference on the Bund in Shanghai.
Han highlighted that the transaction volumes of inbound tourists using Ant-supported mobile payment services grew sixfold from March to August 2024 compared to the same period the previous year. This surge in usage has created substantial business opportunities for local merchants, with the number of Chinese merchants regularly servicing overseas travelers tripling during the same timeframe.
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International Payment Facilitation Partnership.
Since 2019, Ant Group, with the support of the People’s Bank of China, has been collaborating with international card networks and overseas digital wallets to innovate inbound mobile payments through the China Payment Facilitation Partnership. During the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, Ant introduced two mobile payment solutions for international visitors, and the number of supported international payment partners has continued to grow since.
Through Alipay+, international visitors can use their home e-wallets across China. Alipay+ now supports 13 leading e-wallets and payment apps in Asia, including AlipayHK, Kaspi.kz, MPay, Touch ‘n Go eWallet, Hipay, NayaPay, Changi Pay, OCBC Digital, Kakao Pay, Naver Pay, Toss Pay, TrueMoney, and GCash. This network reaches 80 million merchants in China, up from 10 payment partners in 2023.
Alternatively, visitors can link major international bank cards such as Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Discover, Diners Club International, and UnionPay International to the Alipay app to access a wide range of local services without needing a Chinese-mainland bank account or phone number. American Express has also received approval for an inbound wallet solution in China, bringing the total number of supported card networks on Alipay to seven.
The popularity of value-added services available on digital wallets has increased, with a 105% quarter-on-quarter rise in the number of Alipay+ partner wallet users redeeming digital coupons over the past six months. Additionally, Alipay+ wallet partners have introduced over 160 mini-programs to assist visitors with various services such as luggage storage, power-bank rentals, massage chairs, and claw machines.
Liu Yufeng, Deputy Secretary-General of the World Tourism Alliance, emphasized the robust recovery in inbound tourism to China, driven by a combination of government policies and private-sector initiatives like the International Consumer Friendly Zones program.
Ant Group, alongside its partners, launched the International Consumer Friendly Zones program in Beijing in March 2024 to improve the accessibility and ease of use of digital payment options for international travelers. This program has expanded to 70 cities, covering 500 tourist hot spots, including Shanghai’s Bund and Hangzhou’s West Lake.
Peng Yang, CEO of Ant International, discussed the impact of digital innovations in providing low-cost growth paths for SMEs. He highlighted that Alipay+ has established a global network of 90 million merchant partners across 57 markets, making global travel more seamless. He also emphasized Ant Group’s commitment to expanding partnerships for digitalization and inclusion in all regions.
