Viva.com collaborates with Alipay+ to expand its payment offerings

Since its launch in 1999 (under the name Viva Wallet), Viva.com, a FinTech specialized in payment acquisition, has established itself as a leader in omnichannel payment solutions in Europe. Today, it is counting on a strengthened partnership with Alipay, the Chinese mobile payment platform, to integrate 15 new international e-wallets and over 40 payment methods in total. This is based on Alipay+, a cross-border mobile and digital payment solution.

FACTS

• Viva. com and Alipay have just announced the strengthening of their collaboration, extending payment acceptance to 15 new e-wallets, including: Alipay (mainland China), AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR, China), MPay (Macau SAR, China), Touch 'n Go eWallet and MyPB from Public Bank Berhad (Malaysia), Hipay (Mongolia), GCash (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).
• From now on, merchants in the 24 European markets where Viva.com is present can activate Alipay+, enabling international tourists to pay via more of the payment solutions they are already accustomed to using in their own country.
• It also enables users of the service to benefit from local merchant offers and promotions.
• 40 payment methods, including Alipay+, are now available to Viva.com's business customers, including merchants, retail stores, hotels, restaurants and cabs.
• Viva.com's Tap on Any Device technology also enables payment terminals to accept contactless, chip & PIN and QR code payments from any device.

CHALLENGES

• Increased awareness in Europe: The integration of Alipay+ into Viva.com's payment platform is already in place in the 24 European markets where Viva.com is present. Merchants who already accept payments via Alipay are automatically eligible for Alipay+. Viva.com is thus continuing its efforts to establish itself as the first acquirer in Europe to offer payments across all channels.
• Facilitating spending by international tourists: By enabling payments via 15 new international e-wallets, Alipay+ and Viva.com are making it possible for international tourists (particularly Asian tourists here) to pay in European shops via their usual e-wallets.
• Opening up the European market: With Alipay+, Viva.com is working to make European shops more attractive to foreign visitors. This is all the more important in the run-up to the wave of Asian tourists (Chinese and Japanese in particular) who will be heading to Europe for “Golden Week” in October.

MARKET PERSPECTIVE

• Serving Asian tourists visiting Europe also means offering appropriate payment methods. Today, Viva.com and Alipay+ are optimizing the shopping experience through their partnership.
• All the more so as Alipay+ is a global benchmark with 1.5 billion users worldwide, across 66 markets and more than 90 million merchants.
• At the same time, other efforts are underway to make it easier for Asian tourists to spend money in Europe. UPI, the Indian instant payment system, for example, is being deployed in French retail (with Galeries Lafayette).