Hang Seng Bank has partnered with Alipay+ to enable its customers to make cross-border QR payments directly through the bank’s mobile app.

The integration allows users to make QR payments at over 100 million merchants across more than 55 countries and regions without needing to pre-fund a third-party wallet.

The service covers markets including the Chinese Mainland, Europe, the US, Australia, South Korea, and Malaysia.

According to Ant International, Hang Seng Bank is the first banking partner in Hong Kong to join the Alipay+ network.

Customers see the payment amount based on the Alipay+ exchange rate before confirming the transaction. The bank settles payments directly from customers’ HKD accounts and does not charge transaction fees.

“Customers increasingly expect seamless payment solutions when travelling overseas,”

said Rannie Lee, Head of Retail Banking and Wealth at Hang Seng Bank.

“By partnering with Alipay+, we are enhancing customer experience by bringing a simple QR payment service within our mobile app, combining broad merchant acceptance with the simplicity of paying and tracking spending in just one place.”

JustPay combines payments and spending management

The new feature, called JustPay, supports both “scan to pay” and “show code to pay” methods. It allows users to track and manage their spending directly within the Hang Seng mobile app.

This partnership gives Hang Seng Bank access to the Alipay+ network, which connects over 150 million merchants with two billion user accounts across more than 220 markets.

Venetia Lee, General Manager for Greater China at Ant International, said the company aims to make cross-border transactions as simple as scanning a local QR code.

“We are proud to welcome Hang Seng Bank as the first Hong Kong bank to join our network,”

she said, noting the rapid integration of banking apps into the global payment market.

The introduction of JustPay follows rapid mobile payment growth in Hong Kong.

Over 90% of people aged 25 to 44 used mobile payments in 2024, while adoption among those aged 65 and above increased from under 2% in 2017 to over 23%.

To promote the launch, the bank is offering a random discount of up to RMB100 for JustPay cross-border QR payments of RMB40 or more in the Chinese Mainland until 31 August 2026.

Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Hong Kong, based on image by Rannie Lee via LinkedIn