An Alipay+ sign is displayed at an official merchandise store for the Hangzhou Asian Games on September 17, 2023. (Photo provided to iChongqing and Bridging News.)

Chongqing - The Chinese fintech company Ant Group introduced seven new Asian e-wallets and payment apps to the Chinese mainland Tuesday, enhancing mobile payment interconnectivity across Asia ahead of the Hangzhou Asian Games.

The mPay (Macao SAR, China), Hipay (Mongolia), Changi Pay (Singapore), OCBC (Singapore), Naver Pay (South Korea), Toss Pay (South Korea) and TrueMoney (Thailand) were added to the "Alipay+-in-China" Program, or A+China Program. 

The A+China Program is Ant Group's initiative to help introduce international mobile payment services in China in collaboration with e-wallet partners and international card organizations before the Hangzhou Asian Games, according to a source in Ant Group on 19 September.

The new additions bring the total number of overseas e-wallets accepted in the Chinese mainland to 10, covering a population of more than 175 million in Southeast and East Asia. AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR, China), Touch 'n Go eWallet (Malaysia), and Kakao Pay (South Korea) piloted the Program in late 2022.

Ant Group said that users of these e-wallets can use their own payment app wherever Alipay works to enjoy cashless payment and transparent and competitive exchange rates.

Under the A+China Program, travelers may also choose to bind their international bank cards to an updated international version of Alipay to enjoy mobile payment and digital life services while in China.

According to the company, a suite of cross-border mobile payment, marketing, and digitalization solutions developed by the International Business Group of Ant Group, Alipay+ enables payment partners to connect global and local merchants to cross-border digital consumers.

"It is incredibly inspiring to see such regional multi-party partnerships help travelers enjoy greater choice and convenience, and small businesses thrive in cross-border commerce with unprecedented innovations," said Eric Jing, chairman and CEO of Ant Group.

As per PricewaterhouseCoopers, by 2030, the number of cashless transactions will be double to triple the current level. While China leads the region in digital wallet usage, the rest of Asia, especially Southeast Asia, has become the world's fastest-growing mobile payment market.