Astra Tech & Ant Group launches Alipay+ cross-border payments in the UAE

By Delisha Fernandes

Astra Tech, a consumer technology holding group in the MENA region, has partnered with Ant Group, one of the world’s largest digital payment platforms.

This transformative collaboration will witness the integration of Alipay+’s global cross-border digital payment and marketing solutions through the PayBy merchant network, encompassing the entire Abu Dhabi fleet of nearly 7,000 taxis and over 3,000 merchants nationwide.

The integration aims to enable over 1.4 billion wallet users to conduct transactions seamlessly, directly from their home e-wallets while visiting the UAE, devoid of any currency conversion.

Abdallah Abu Sheikh, Co-founder of Astra Tech and CEO of Botim stated, “Our milestone collaboration with Alipay+ aligns perfectly with the UAE’s commitment to enhancing the payment ecosystem and fostering a commerce-friendly environment. We are thrilled to partner with Alipay+ to enhance secure and seamless payment processes, in line with Astra Tech’s vision of fostering global financial inclusion. Equally, expanding our fintech services internationally is a testament to our dedication to enabling effortless accessibility of payment solutions on a global scale.”

This dynamic collaboration facilitates settlement processes and mobile-based transactions through Alipay+, whether in physical stores or online platforms. The in-store payment process is simplified through more digital options; customers can scan the QR code at the cashier, enter the amount for payment, and confirm the transaction, or merchants can scan the payment QR codes presented by the customers on their mobile phones.

Guoming Cheng, General Manager of Ant Group in Europe and Middle East, “Our alliance with Astra Tech not only opens doors to a seamless and integrated digital payment experience at physical stores in the Middle East, but also propels us towards a new era of strategic collaboration. This partnership leverages the combined global outreach of Alipay+ and PayBy-powered versatile and scalable integration solutions for the region. Furthermore, it extends an invitation to merchants to ride on the digitalization wave, together transform the retail landscape, and become part of this innovative ecosystem.”