Ant Financial's online payment platform, Alipay, will collaborate with a wider range of local Japanese partners to build a cashless environment for visiting tourists. The new partnership is part of the company's efforts to expand into other parts of Asia, including Southeast Asia. Chinese tourists’ spending through mobile payment is growing rapidly too. Close to 7.35 million people came to Japan in 2017 with a y-o-y growth rate of 15.4% (※ 1), and the inbound consumption from this group reached 1.6 trillion yen (US$14.3 billion, ※ 2). Alipay is planning to extend its coverage beyond metropolitan areas to smaller cities with their own popular tourist attractions, as well as work with Japan's own mobile payment platforms.
Ant Financial's online payment platform, Alipay, will collaborate with a wider range of local Japanese partners to build a cashless environment for visiting tourists. The new partnership is part of the company's efforts to expand into other parts of Asia, including Southeast Asia. Chinese tourists’ spending through mobile payment is growing rapidly too. Alipay is planning to extend its coverage beyond metropolitan areas to smaller cities with their own popular tourist attractions, as well as work with Japan's own mobile payment platforms.