Enabled through its partnership with the Network for Electronic Transfers
(NETS), Singapore’s leading payment services group, Alipay+ is now integrated into SGQR and becomes available as one of the payment schemes at about 11,000 stalls at NEA hawker centres in Singapore, as well as HDB coffee shops, wet markets, and JTC industrial canteens. Users of Alipay+ partner e-wallets can pay via the SGQR displayed at stalls by opening their home e-wallet apps and scanning the SGQR.
SGQR is the world’s first unified payment QR code. It is a single standardized QR code for e-payments and combines multiple payment schemes into a single SGQR label. Consumers just need to look for the SGQR label to see which payment options a merchant accepts.
Alipay+ is a suite of global cross-border digital payments and marketing solutions designed to enable businesses, especially small and medium-sized businesses, to process a wide range of mobile payment methods and reach 1 billion regional and global consumers, through one-time integration and simple technical adaptation. Alipay+ currently supports six partner e-wallets in Singapore, including Alipay from the Chinese mainland, AlipayHK from Hong Kong SAR, China, Touch ‘n Go eWallet from Malaysia, GCash from the Philippines, TrueMoney from Thailand, and Kakao Pay from South Korea. Alipay, one of Alipay+’s e-wallet partners, has been integrated into SGQR since 2019.
Dr. Cherry Huang, General Manager of Alipay+ Offline Merchant Services, Ant Group, said: “With Alipay+’s integration into SGQR, it makes it more convenient for foreigners traveling to Singapore, by enabling them to pay with their home e-wallets, which they are familiar with. Tourists no longer have to worry about trying to find the right amount of cash to pay in a bustling environment like hawker centres. We look forward to continuing to partner with NETS to drive digital payments innovation and acceptance, connecting thousands of merchants in Singapore with digital consumers in the region.”
“At NETS, we believe that every business should have access to digital payment solutions. By facilitating digitalization for hawkers through collaborations with partners such as Alipay+, we are empowering small businesses to better serve their customers whilst providing them opportunities to expand their customer base,” said Mr. Lawrence Chan, Group CEO, NETS.
In addition to NETS, Ant Group has also formed partnerships and collaborations with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), Changi Airport Group, Resorts World Sentosa, ComfortDelGro Taxi, and many other local merchants and brands to bring best-in-class digital payment solutions to enhance the travel experience in Singapore.
Data from STB shows that more tourists are visiting Singapore. From January to March 2023, there was a month-on-month increase in the number of international visitors, with Asian tourists forming the majority of arrivals. Malaysia, South Korea, the Philippines, China and Thailand are in the top ten for visitor arrivals to Singapore in the first quarter.
