TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 29. The national payment system HUMO and the global payment platform Alipay+, owned by Ant International, announced in Beijing the launch of a collaboration aimed at developing inbound and outbound cross-border QR payments, Trend reports.
The first Uzbek e-wallet to be integrated with Alipay+ will be Octomobile from Octobank. By the end of the year, other e-wallets and banking applications connected to the HUMO network are expected to join the system.
With this partnership, HUMO has become the tenth national QR-code payment operator to join the Alipay+ partner ecosystem.
At the initial stage, HUMO users from Uzbekistan will be able to make seamless payments in China and more than 50 countries worldwide, including Kazakhstan, Thailand, the UAE, the USA, and others - paying for shopping, dining, transport, and other services in Uzbek soms via familiar banking applications or payment methods.
"We are delighted to partner with Alipay+ from Ant International. This agreement opens new opportunities for seamless international travel for Uzbek users and creates real prospects for business growth. HUMO, as a key component of the national payment infrastructure, connects 35 banks and 42 non-bank financial organizations. We look forward to further expanding our cooperation with Alipay+," said Maksad Mukhitdinov, First Deputy Chairman of HUMO.
"We are excited to collaborate with HUMO, expanding Alipay+'s presence in Central Asia and reaching over 45 million digital wallet users. This partnership will enhance the travel experience for Uzbek tourists, provide convenient payments and attractive offers, and help Uzbek businesses accept international customers, stimulating the growth of the country’s tourism economy," said Edward Yue, CEO of Alipay+ for Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and South Asia.
Currently, Alipay+ collaborates with 40 e-wallets and banking applications, as well as 10 national QR payment systems, connecting over 100 million merchant points and 1.8 billion user accounts worldwide.
In China, Ant International is the largest inbound payment operator in terms of reach, number of scenarios, and transaction volume. Its payment ecosystem supports seven international card brands and 31 e-wallets from 12 countries and regions.