Alipay expansion gathers speed with move into Southeast Asia

Merger of parent Ant Financial with helloPay seen helping Alibaba transform its annual Singles’ Day online shopping promotion into a fully fledged international event

Alipay has attracted more than 450 million users in mainland China since the service was launched in 2004. Photo: Bloomberg

Chinese online payments giant Alipay is set to expand its operations in Southeast Asia through the merger of parent Ant Financial Services and helloPay, a move that could also advance Alibaba Group’s efforts to build the international coverage of its annual Singles’ Day online shopping promotion.

Ant Financial, an affiliate of e-commerce powerhouse Alibaba, announced that merger on Wednesday, roughly a year after Alibaba took control of helloPay parent Lazada Group with a US$1 billion investment.

Print option is available for subscribers only.
SUBSCRIBE NOW
Copyright © 2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.