Malaysian national payments network Payments Network Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PayNet) recently entered a strategic partnership with top Asian payment platforms Alipay+ and Weixin Pay which is better known in the Southeast Asian country as WeChat Pay.
The partnership aims to drive Chinese and regional tourist spending throughout Malaysia during the summer travel season.
For the season, both Alipay+ and Weixin Pay are rolling out targeted campaigns to promote Malaysia as a top destination.
The campaigns will boost cross-border spending via PayNet’s DuitNow QR ecosystem and make travel in Malaysia more seamless and rewarding for visitors.
According to PayNet’s chief marketing officer Gary Yeoh: “This is what smart tourism looks like, seamless for travellers, transformative for our MSMEs. By enabling tourists to use their home wallets via DuitNow QR, we are opening up more than 2.5 million Malaysian businesses, many of them small and family-run, to global spending power. It’s a digital solution with real-world economic impact.”
Making payments with greater ease
Tourists using AlipayCN, Alipay+ partner payment apps, and Weixin Pay can pay with ease in Malaysia by scanning DuitNow QR without needing to install or use additional applications.
It’s the same e-wallet they use at home, accepted at more than 2.5 million merchants in Malaysia.
From restaurants and hotels to souvenir kiosks and tour operators, this enhanced interoperability makes travel hassle-free. It also increases visibility for merchants, helping micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) tap into tourist spending.
Alipay+ currently enables 15 international payment apps in Malaysia, including Alipay for Chinese tourists.
During the December 2024 travel peak, Alipay+, via DuitNow QR, drove a six-fold revenue increase for Malaysian merchants’ year-on-year.
A way to boost the Malaysian economy
Likewise, the multi-partner initiative aims to increase sales by 20 percent for participating merchants during the summer campaign period.
In the long run, the campaign underpins Malaysia's goal of becoming a cashless tourism leader, while helping more businesses tap into digital payments.
Tourism Malaysia director-general Manoharan Periasamy further highlighted how the summer campaigns stand to play a vital role in reaching the target of six million Chinese tourist arrivals this year.
Periasamy said: "We believe that making travel simple, welcoming, and convenient is the key to attracting more visitors," he said. "With DuitNow QR accepted via Alipay+ and Weixin Pay, tourists can enjoy a smoother, more enjoyable travel experience. This initiative not only adds comfort and familiarity for our guests but also creates meaningful opportunities for local businesses and boosts the overall tourism economy.”
