Nexi partners with Alipay+ for cross-border payments ahead of UEFA EURO 2024

Eschborn, February 29, 2024 – Nexi, Europe's largest PayTech company, has entered into a partnership with Alipay+, the cross-border mobile payment and marketing platform by Ant International, to integrate the capability for cross-border payments into German businesses. Nexi is upgrading its point-of-sale terminals to support Alipay+, enabling merchants to accept e-wallet and digital payments from over 25 payment partners in Asia.

The partnership between Nexi and Alipay+ represents a significant step towards enhancing international mobile payments for merchants and presents great potential for retailers, restaurants, hotels, and service providers, especially considering the anticipated high number of Asian travelers during UEFA EURO 2024. Alipay+ is the official payment partner of the football tournament this summer, boosting brand visibility for Asian visitors seeking convenient payments during their stay in Europe.

Through seamless integration, Alipay+ offers merchants a suite of global and standardized mobile payment solutions and marketing tools to connect with various e-wallets, banks, and other digital payment methods from different countries. Introduced by Ant International, Alipay+ provides worldwide coverage, enabling 88 million merchants to engage with over three billion mobile consumers, offering a smooth and secure payment experience with access to promotions, benefits, and services from merchants worldwide. Alipay+'s partner e-wallets and bank apps include Alipay (Mainland China), AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR, China), GCash (Philippines), TrueMoney (Thailand), Touch 'n Go eWallet (Malaysia), OCBC Digital (Singapore), and more.

"Football fans from around the world also want to pay in German stores with a familiar payment method," says Carola Wahl, CEO of Nexi DACH. "Thanks to the partnership, retail and hospitality businesses can now upgrade to Alipay+ and capitalize on the sales potential of UEFA EURO 2024 tourism in our country."

The championship, one of the largest sporting events in the world, will take place in ten host cities in Germany. Marketing and sales activities began at the beginning of 2024, creating global attention for the tournament.

"Our goal is to make borderless payments as seamless and convenient as possible, whether a customer is visiting a physical store or shopping online. The partnership between Alipay+ and Nexi is an important step for us to support European merchants and prepare them for the increase in Asian customers this summer," said Pietro Candela, Head of European Business Development for Alipay+.

The payment via QR code is already well established in Europe: 'We see that QR code-based payments are becoming increasingly popular in all countries. The payment process itself is simple and smooth for both the merchant and the end user, as seen, for example, in Switzerland, where Twint is already used by 95 percent of the population,' says Wahl. Nexi customers and service providers in Germany have been able to accept payments via QR code with Alipay since 2018.

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About Alipay+

Alipay+  is a suite of cross-border digital payment, marketing, and digitization solutions designed to connect global merchants with consumers. Consumers benefit from seamless payments and a wide range of offers by using their preferred payment methods during their travels abroad. Small and medium-sized enterprises can leverage Alipay+'s digital tools to enhance efficiency and achieve growth across various channels.