Philippines – Filipino merchants can now accept payments from international shoppers through their existing QR codes, following a new partnership between the Philippine Payments Management, Inc. (PPMI) and Ant International’s Alipay+.
The tie-up officially activates Alipay+ on QR Ph, linking the country’s domestic digital payments network with a global commerce ecosystem. The move supports the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) ongoing push to digitalise the nation’s payments landscape.
Digital payments already make up 64.69% of retail transaction volume in the Philippines, according to the BSP’s 2025 Report on E-Payments Measurement. QR Ph transactions alone surged more than 13 times over during 2025, underscoring the network’s rapid growth.
With Alipay+ now integrated, international consumers will be able to use their home e-wallets and banking apps to scan and pay directly at any QR Ph-accepting merchant nationwide. In turn, merchants can receive payments from Alipay+ partner users without adopting new hardware or systems, since transactions run through their existing QR Ph codes.
The development is expected to benefit local businesses, particularly micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), by opening access to the growing flow of international travellers and digital consumers. For many Filipino SMEs, digital payments are shifting from a simple collection tool into a channel for reaching new customers and markets.
Carmelita “Melit” Araneta, General Manager of Philippine Payments Management Inc., said the partnership extends the reach of the country’s payments infrastructure. “QR Ph has played an important role in advancing a more connected and interoperable digital payments ecosystem in the Philippines, making digital payments more accessible and convenient for businesses and consumers”.
“Through our partnership with Alipay+, we are extending that connectivity beyond our borders, enabling Filipino merchants — particularly SMEs — to serve international customers more seamlessly. This is an important step in bringing the benefits of digitalisation into everyday commerce, while creating new opportunities for Filipino businesses to participate and grow in the global digital economy”, she continued.
Consequently, the integration allows the country’s digital transformation to extend beyond its borders while remaining anchored in the same ecosystem already familiar to Filipino consumers and businesses.
Danny Chung, General Manager of Alipay+ Global Growth Center at Ant International, framed the partnership around convenience for both sides of the transaction. “Our role is to make it as easy as possible for a customer to pay with the mobile app they already use, while helping the merchant participate in a much bigger marketplace”.
“The Philippines has built a strong digital payments ecosystem through QR Ph, and by connecting that ecosystem with Alipay+, we are helping bring the benefits of digitalisation to the next level, giving Filipino businesses a more seamless way to serve consumers from around the world”, he added.
The Philippines joins a wider list of markets under Alipay+’s interoperability strategy. The platform is now connected to more than 10 national QR schemes across Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, extending cross-border payment capabilities into local systems.
Globally, Alipay+ connects more than 2 billion consumer accounts and over 50 mobile payment providers, including major e-wallets and bank apps. Its network spans more than 10 national switches and reaches QR and NFC merchants across over 220 markets worldwide.
Beyond payments interoperability, Alipay+ is also building out a suite of AI solutions aimed at helping mobile payment providers and merchants adapt to the next phase of mobile and digital commerce.
