Viva.com and Alipay+ expand strategic partnership to enhance the retail experience in Europe for international tourists

Merchants in all 24 European markets Viva.com operates in are now eligible to enable Alipay+, allowing global tourists to conveniently pay with 15 international e-wallets and access promotions. 

Viva.com, Europe’s first acquirer powering payments on any channel, and any device, in 24 markets, has expanded its strategic partnership with Alipay+, a suite of cross-border mobile payments and digitalization technology solutions, to enable European merchants to accept direct payments from 15 e-wallets.

Alipay+ and Viva.com partnership allows global tourists, mostly from Asia, to pay in businesses across Europe with their preferred home e-wallets securely and conveniently via over 15 e-wallets and banking partners. In addition, visitors will be able to benefit from accessing merchant promotions via Alipay+.

Viva.com now offers merchants in various business verticals, including travel agencies, retail stores, hotels, restaurants, taxicabs, and more, access to over 40 payment methods, including Alipay+. Viva.com’s Tap on Any Device technology allows any device - whether mobile, desktop, smart interactive or self-checkout- to double its use as payment terminal, accepting contactless, chip & PIN, and QR code payments. This technology supports different checkout journeys, elevating customer service, as transactions can be completed anywhere, eliminating queues and long waiting times.

Alipay+ integration with Viva.com’s in-person payments platform is already live in all 24 European markets Viva.com operates in, and all existing merchants which currently accept Alipay (Chinese mainland) are automatically eligible for Alipay+, with a growing number of merchants onboarded daily.

Alipay+ supports its partners and merchants to serve 1.5 billion users worldwide and is enabled in 66 markets globally, connecting over 90 million merchants. Among the 15 Alipay+ e-wallets and mobile partners accepted at over 400,000 merchants in Europe 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), Bluecode (Germany and Austria) and Kakao Pay, Naver Pay and Toss Pay (South Korea).

Harry Xenophontos, Chief Partnerships Officer, leading the Strategic Business Development division at Viva.com commented, “By extending our partnership with Ant International to integrate with Alipay+ cross-border mobile payment solution, we aim to further streamline payments for European businesses. 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. We are pleased to be part of Alipay+’s expansion to reach its full potential in Europe”.

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."