LankaPay – Sri Lanka’s national payment network, has entered into a partnership with Ant International, a global digital payment, digitisation and financial technology provider, to launch Alipay+ acceptance in Sri Lanka. The launch took place in Colombo last week.
Over 400,000 LankaQr merchants across Sri Lanka will be able to accept cross-border mobile payments from tourists and business traveller via 14 international e-wallets connected to Alipay+during the first phase.
Alipay+, Ant International’s cross-border mobile payment and digitalisation solution, now connects over 1.7 billion users via 36 international e-wallets and banks apps worldwide. During the initial phase, travellers from 10 countries and regions, can simply scan the LankaQr code at more than 400,000 merchants across the island to make payments, just as they are used to at home.
The Alipay+ partners enabled for cross-border payment acceptance in Sri Lanka in the first phase include: Alipay (Chinese mainland), AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR), MPay (Macao SAR), Hipay (Mongolia), GCash (the Philippines), Changi Pay and OCBC Digital (Singapore), Touch ‘n Go eWallet and MyPB by Public Bank Berhad (Malaysia), Naver Pay and Toss Pay (South Korea), TrueMoney (Thailand), BigPay (Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand), and Tinaba (Italy).
The launch of Alipay+ represents the biggest acceptance of cross-border payments in Sri Lanka, including their partners from top inbound operators and potential markets such as Italy, Singapore, Malaysia and China, as identified by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), and other top growth markets such as South Korea and Thailand.
CEO of LankaPay, Channa de Silva said, “We are delighted to partner with Ant International and enable Alipay+ cross-border payment solution, which signifies a landmark milestone in our global journey. This partnership connects us with international Alipay+ partner users worldwide, enabling them to make seamless payments during their visit to Sri Lanka, similar to their experience at home.” General Manager for Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Ant International Edward Yue said, “The national LankaQr infrastructure by the Sri Lanka Central Bank and LankaPay lays a strong foundation for the digitalisation of local businesses and we’re proud to partner with LankaPay to enhance interoperability and connect global customers to the local payment ecosystem.”
