Viva.com expands Alipay+ partnership to boost payments for EU merchants

Viva.com has expanded its strategic partnership with Alipay+, a move aimed at enhancing payment services for European merchants and catering to international tourists, particularly those from Asia. This partnership allows businesses across 24 European markets to accept payments from over 15 e-wallets through Alipay+, a suite of cross-border mobile payment solutions.

The collaboration simplifies the payment process for global travellers by enabling them to use their preferred home e-wallets when shopping or dining in Europe. Additionally, tourists can benefit from merchant promotions available via the Alipay+ platform, further incentivising the use of these digital payment options.

Enhanced payment options

With this partnership, Viva.com, known for its wide-reaching payment technology solutions, offers merchants access to more than 40 payment methods. This includes sectors such as retail, hospitality, travel, and even transport, including taxis. The company’s “Tap on Any Device” technology also enables any device, from mobile phones to self-service kiosks, to function as a payment terminal. This supports contactless, chip & PIN, and QR code payments, making checkout processes faster and more flexible.

The integration of Alipay+ with Viva.com’s in-person payments platform has already been rolled out across all 24 markets. Merchants who previously accepted Alipay (Chinese mainland) payments are now automatically eligible for Alipay+, expanding their reach to an even larger pool of international consumers.

Supporting global tourism

Harry Xenophontos, Chief Partnerships Officer at Viva.com, said that the enhanced partnership with Ant International will streamline payment systems for European merchants. “With Alipay+, we enable merchants to accept multiple digital payment methods from international consumers, including millions of Asian travellers, in the most frictionless way, with a single integration and QR code scheme,” Xenophontos said.

Pietro Candela, General Manager of Europe at Alipay+, commented, “The partnership between Alipay+ and Viva.com represents a significant step in the path towards expanding our offerings for global travellers coming to Europe. International tourism has finally recovered following the pandemic, and thanks to Alipay+’s partnership with Viva.com, merchants of 24 European countries will enjoy new benefits by attracting international customers with a convenient and familiar payment method.”

Expanding reach

Alipay+, which connects over 90 million merchants worldwide, currently supports 1.5 billion users in 66 markets. The 15 e-wallets and mobile partners included in this expanded service span multiple regions, including Alipay (Chinese mainland), AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR), MPay (Macao SAR), and others from Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and South Korea. Additionally, European e-wallets like Tinaba (Italy) and Bluecode (Germany and Austria) are now part of the offering.

The partnership is set to further benefit merchants in Europe as the region prepares for a surge in international visitors during key periods, such as Asia’s Golden Week in October.

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