Alipay+ and Hang Seng enable cross-border QR payments

Ant International’s Alipay+ has partnered with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Bank to enable cross-border QR code payments. Hang Seng mobile app users can now scan merchant QR codes and complete payments at more than 100 million merchants in 55 countries and regions.

The integration links Hang Seng to Alipay+’s network of over 50 global financial institutions. Customers who travel or shop abroad can use the Hang Seng mobile app to pay at participating merchants without downloading a foreign bank app or opening a local account.

Alipay+ operates as a digital wallet gateway that connects banks and local wallet providers to merchant acceptance systems across multiple markets. For Hang Seng, the connection adds an international payment channel within the bank’s existing mobile app.

Ant International estimates outbound cross-border payment volume could reach 3.7 trillion by 2032, nearly double 2024 levels. The company has been adding partners across the Asia-Pacific region; Alipay+ is already active with banks and wallet partners in Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Last week Alipay+ introduced QR code payments for travellers to Argentina, extending the platform into South America.

Alipay+ is operated by Ant International, a unit of Ant Group, and focuses on cross-border mobile payments using QR codes and other payment rails. Hong Kong remains a large market for cross-border retail payments because of its travel flows and international commerce, and regional banks have been partnering with wallet platforms to broaden consumer payment options.