Alipay+ will allow over 50,000 UK merchants using DNA Payments’ POS terminals to accept direct payments from global tourists, mostly from Asia, quickly and conveniently, benefiting sectors such as hospitality, tourism, travel and more. At launch, users of 14 Alipay+ partner e-wallets will be able to make mobile payments with their enabled home e-wallets at hospitality merchants including Boisdale restaurant group, Lochside House Hotel Spa & Lodges, and Durrants Hotel during the initial pilot scheme, ahead of completion in June.

Consumers can make payments by simply scanning a QR code displayed on a DNA Payments’ POS terminal to complete their transaction using their mobile payment apps. This supports a seamless buying experience for international visitors to the UK and enables merchants to better engage with their customers using DNA Payments’ POS solutions.

Among the 14 e-wallets and banking apps partnering with Alipay+ at launch are Alipay (Chinese mainland), AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR, China), MPay (Macao SAR, China), Touch ’n Go eWallet and MyPB by Public Bank Berhad (Malaysia), Hipay (Mongolia), GCash (The Philippines), OCBC Digital and Changi Pay (Singapore), TrueMoney (Thailand), Tinaba (Italy) and Kakao Pay, Naver Pay and Toss Pay (South Korea).

Introduced by Ant International, Alipay+ provides worldwide coverage, enabling 88 million merchants to connect with over 25 e-wallets and banking apps globally, offering a smooth and secure payment experience with access to promotions, benefits and services from merchants around the world.

JP LIPS, CEO at DNA Payments, said: “The UK is a popular destination with Asian visitors for leisure, study, or work, who prefer to pay in ways they are familiar with. Retailers, F&B companies, and hospitality businesses can materially increase their sales by accepting international e-wallets like Alipay, MPay and TrueMoney. Our role as DNA Payments is to make this as easy as possible for businesses of all sizes - with no extra terminal, tracking all payment methods through one portal, seamless funding, and settlement. And we facilitate the registration of Alipay+ automatically for our clients, enabling simple unified payments.”

Pietro Candela, General Manager of Europe at Alipay+, commented: “We’re delighted to partner with DNA Payments to enable businesses of all sizes to access the Alipay+ suite of cross-border payment and tech solutions, enabling them to easily receive direct payments from international visitors to the UK, particularly in sectors including hospitality, travel and tourism.”