MPay payments now available in HK through Alipay+

Users of 14 popular overseas e-wallets from nine countries and regions, including Macau, can now make payments in Hong Kong using their home mobile applications (apps) through Alipay+, AGTech, according to a statement from the Alibaba Group.

According to the statement, the facilitation of payments using home apps in the neighboring region supports “Hong Kong’s new mega tourism and commerce drive.”

The company said the measure can potentially cover a population of approximately 1.2 billion, “allowing them to enjoy a safe and seamless payment experience in ‘Asia’s World City’ as the number of inbound tourists to Hong Kong continues to rise.”

Besides Macau’s MPay, the measure includes e-wallets and bank apps such as Changi Pay and OCBC Digital (Singapore), GCash and HelloMoney (Philippines), Hipay (Mongolia), Kakao Pay, Naver Pay and Toss Pay (South Korea), MyPB by Public Bank Berhad and Touch ‘n Go eWallet (Malaysia), TrueMoney (Thailand), and Tinaba (Italy).

According to AGTech, the newly enabled wallets “are now accepted at over 90% of the local outlets in Hong Kong,” which is similar to Alipay (Chinese mainland).

The operator said users of the mentioned e-wallets “will enjoy a smooth payment experience with transparent and competitive exchange rates in Hong Kong whenever they encounter the Alipay+/AlipayHK logo at the merchants in the city.”

On the announcement, the CEO of AlipayHK and Greater China General Manager of Ant International, Venetia Lee, said, “Hong Kong is known for its breathtaking sceneries, vibrant city, and community life, and the east-meet-west culture, as well as shopping, food, sightseeing, and public services, an exciting place that any globetrotters shouldn’t miss.”

“When we pay like locals, we can travel and experience the culture like locals. We are so excited to help users of our 14 wallet partners expand their presence to over 90% of local merchants through the AlipayHK network,” she said.

On the announced expansion, Sun Ho, Chairman and CEO of Macau Pass, said. “I am very delighted to see that through collaboration with Alipay+, our e-wallet MPay enables residents of Macau to enjoy a seamless cross-border mobile payment experience in Hong Kong without the need for currency exchange, thus greatly enhancing the convenience and security of payments.”

“This significantly enhances the convenience and security of payments and also meets the needs for cross-border financial transactions within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area,” he said.

“MPay is committed to expanding electronic payment services, lifestyle services, and marketing technology services, continuously opening up and enriching the application scenarios of cross-border mobile wallet payments, allowing the world to gain a deeper understanding of the inclusive ecosystem and vitality of Macau’s digital economy.”

As the Times has previously reported, although the company had previously announced payments from the Macau app were available in Hong Kong, the Times and its readers verified the system was not operational except for items related to the acquisition of transport tickets between Hong Kong and Macau.

MPay debuts ëmPass

Travelí at MITE

Another novelty from the Macau Pass Group Holdings Limited was the weekend debut of “mPass Travel,” a new set of services through the MPay app in collaboration with Alibaba Group and Ant Group’s ecosystem companies.

The debut of the “mPass Travel” took place at the 12th Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo (MITE) which ended yesterday.

According to the company, mPass Travel, “as one of the important brands of Macau Pass Group, is committed to providing a one-stop travel discount service and selected content to create a comprehensive lifestyle and travel service guide for visitors to Macau and local residents.”

The new service has been added to the MPay platform, aggregating several tourism enterprises that will benefit from shared traffic and resources.

According to Macau Pass Group, the aim is “to build a comprehensive travel service platform for the Greater Bay Area and the Asia-Pacific region,” through a more comprehensive and convenient service for the industry.