Chongqing - At the 2025 Land-Sea Economic Forum in Singapore, WorldFirst, Ant International's cross-border payment platform, highlighted its AI-driven solutions and commitment to facilitating trade between China and Southeast Asia. In an exclusive interview with us, Daniel Chua, Head of Commercial, SEA at WorldFirst, shared insights on the company's growth strategy and regional collaborations.

Founded in 2004, WorldFirst specializes in helping Chinese brands expand globally through localized financial services. In 2024, it partnered with TikTok Shop to launch cross-border payments in South Asia, enabling seamless transactions for Chinese merchants.

Chua emphasized the role of AI in enhancing security and customer experience. "We deploy AI for risk management and customer service," he said. "Our multilingual AI agent handles customer inquiries 24/7, achieving an 80 %+ first-try resolution rate."

With the rising demand for Chinese imports across Southeast Asia, Chua emphasized the need to strengthen trade corridors, particularly between ASEAN and Chongqing. "We see strong interest from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Establishing more collaborations with the Chongqing government will be key," he noted.

To better serve Chinese SMEs expanding overseas, WorldFirst plans to secure regional licenses and deploy local teams. Chua emphasized the importance of local expertise in understanding market nuances to support Chinese brands' overseas businesses.

As digital trade continues to grow, WorldFirst aims to bridge the gap between China and Southeast Asia through innovation and strategic partnerships.