By: Robert Kwaku Annor
TerraPay, a global money
movement company, and Alipay+, Ant International’s unified wallet gateway, has announced a strategic partnership to enable seamless cross-border QR
payments for digital wallets, significantly enhancing global payments interoperability
for users across Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.
In the initial phase, 15 of the
digital wallets across Africa connected to Xend, TerraPay’s wallet
interoperability network, will be able to pay at more than 150 million
merchants across Alipay+’s
global merchant ecosystem. The partnership also expands TerraPay’s cross-border payment
capabilities from account-to-account to global in-store acceptance.
Pay Like a Local, anywhere in
the World
Many continue to face friction
when transacting across borders. While their digital wallet works seamlessly
locally, when travelling, they often revert to cash, foreign exchange counters,
and payment methods that feel unfamiliar and costly.
Through Xend, TerraPay’s wallet
interoperability network, wallet partners across the world piloting with
Africa, can enable their users to pay directly at Alipay+'s global merchant
ecosystem. Wallet users can simply scan a QR code to pay, using the same wallet
they already trust.
"The home wallet on your
phone, that is from Kenya or Colombia or any country, should work the same way
in Singapore or China or anywhere in the world, as easily as it does at
home" said Ambar Sur, Founder and CEO, TerraPay. "That's the promise
of Xend. This partnership with Alipay+ is a major step toward making
cross-border wallet payments as natural as paying locally."
Supporting a growing mobile
economy
As digital wallets become the
preferred payment option, users increasingly expect their trusted financial
interfaces to work seamlessly across borders, merchants, and payment
ecosystems. Wallet providers have built powerful domestic ecosystems - loyal
users, trusted rails, meaningful scale, yet cross-border utility remains
limited.
Xend, TerraPay's wallet
interoperability network solves this by connecting to a global ecosystem, via
Alipay+, through a single integration, enabling wallet providers to offer their
customers something genuinely new: the ability to spend internationally,
without switching apps or carrying cards. Alipay+ connects over 50
international payment partners to more than 150 million merchants across 220
destination markets, including through over 10 national payment systems.
“By bringing TerraPay’s network of wallets
to Alipay+, we’re helping more people and businesses connect across borders,
creating new pathways for growth, and unlocking new opportunities," said Edward
Yue, General Manager of Alipay+ Global Power Center, Ant International: "This
reflects our joint commitment towards a more connected and inclusive global
commerce ecosystem."
Ant International is a leading global digital payment,
digitisation and financial technology provider, offering a unified techfin platform supporting
financial institutions and merchants of all sizes to achieve inclusive
growth. It's unified wallet gateway, Alipay+, provides cross-border
payment and digital services that help connect global merchants to
consumers.
