Ant Financial Services Group, the financial affiliate of Jack Ma’s Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., has launched its third-party payment app Alipay in Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and Myanmar, expanding the platform’s presence in Southeast Asia to eight countries in total following similar introductions in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
The Hangzhou-based firm has now expanded the reach of Alipay, China’s biggest third-party payment platform, to 40 countries and regions globally, online media outlet Sina reported.
Southeast Asia has long been a hot destination for outbound Chinese tourists, with more than two million Chinese tourists visiting Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and the Philippines last year. Alipay will provide payment services for shopping, dining, entertainment and accommodation scenarios in these countries.
Airports in Cambodia’s key tourist hubs Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville will all support Alipay transactions at restaurant chains Burger King, Costa Coffee, Dim Sum King, Dairy Queen as well as in duty-free stores.
China is the world-leader in the adoption of mobile payment platforms. Alipay users now exceed 450 million worldwide, dwarfing the 12 million users on Apple Inc.’s Apple Pay platform.
Source: yicaiglobal.com
