Alipay+, the cross-border mobile payment platform of Ant International, has contributed more than 80 percent of inbound QR payments via DuitNow in Malaysia.

Alipay+ said in a statement on Monday that the contribution is reflecting a successful public-private partnership in building a more connected payments ecosystem.

According to the statement, in the peak travel season in December 2024, the partnership enabled six times growth in revenue for Malaysian merchants, compared to the same period in 2023.

PayNet and Ant International enabled Alipay+ payment partner acceptance via DuitNow in October 2023. This has enabled Malaysian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to accept QR payments from international travelers.

Today, the number of Alipay+ payment partners that can make payment via DuitNow QR, has more than doubled to 15 international apps, bringing even more customers to Malaysian SMEs.

The Alipay+ partners enabled for use in Malaysia are: Alipay (Chinese mainland), AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR, China), MPay (Macao SAR, China), TrueMoney and KBank (Thailand), Changi Pay (Singapore), Hipay (Mongolia), HelloMoney and GCash (The Philippines), Tinaba (Italy), Kaspi (Kazakhstan), BigPay (Singapore, Thailand), Kakao Pay, Naver Pay, Toss (South Korea).

“As Malaysia’s national payments network, PayNet is committed to building an open and seamless payment ecosystem that enables businesses to thrive,

“Our partnership with Ant International has significantly enhanced cross-border payment acceptance for local merchants, helping them tap into a growing wave of global travelers,” said Gary Yeoh, Chief Marketing Officer of PayNet.

With Alipay+ as a key driver, he said DuitNow QR is empowering SMEs to compete on an international scale, reinforcing Malaysia’s position as a premier travel and shopping destination.

Enabled by Alipay+, travellers from 10 countries and regions can now pay using their home payment app at more than 2.5 million DuitNow QR touchpoints in Malaysia simply by scanning the DuitNow QR.

In 2024, the number of Alipay+ transactions on DuitNow QR has on average increased by 50 percent quarter-on-quarter, making Alipay+ the biggest contributor to cross-border inbound QR payment, and empowering Malaysian merchants to benefit from the growth in travel.

“We have always believed in the power of travel, for connectivity, cultural exchange and as an economic driver,” said Edward Yue, General Manager for Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Ant International.

With Alipay+, he said the firm is able to offer local businesses a gateway to global customers, driving more inclusive growth in local communities.

“PayNet has built the infrastructure and partnerships to enable this, and we’re proud to collaborate and bring international users into this ecosystem,

“We’re just getting started, and in the years ahead, we can make an even greater impact together, positioning Malaysia as a global tourism hub and generating more growth for Malaysian businesses,” he added.

According to Tourism Malaysia, Malaysia welcomed more than 25 million visitors in 2024, with a goal of 35.6 million for the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign.

The Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) aims to increase tourism revenue, strengthen Malaysia’s global tourism competitiveness, and ultimately position the sector as one of the largest contributors to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

With the extensive merchant coverage of DuitNow, the number of visitors using an Alipay+-enabled payment app increasing five times year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2024.

In 2025 and beyond, PayNet and Ant International said they will continue to collaborate through merchant connectivity, marketing and educational campaigns to bring even more growth to Malaysian SMEs.

PayNet is the national payments network and central financial infrastructure for Malaysia.

Its extensive retail payments suite include DuitNow (QR and P2P), JomPAY (Bill Payments), FPX (Online), MyDebit (Domestic Debit), MEPS (ATM), and IBG (Interbank GIRO).

PayNet’s real time retail QR payments network, DuitNow, is also interoperable with domestic schemes in Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia to enable seamless cross-border transactions with those countries.

Alipay+ is a unified wallet gateway with cross-border payment and digitization services that help connect global merchants to consumers.

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