Ant Group taps into SEA opportunities through partnership with 2C2P

Ant Group is set to become the majority shareholder of Singaporean payments platform 2C2P to accelerate digital payment adoption and innovation. Some of 2C2P's card and wallet payment partners include names such as Lazada, Changi Airport Group, MSIG, airasia. 

Through the partnership, 2C2P’s pool of merchants inclusive of global and regional brands will be connected to Alipay+, extending its current 250 payment options to include even more eWallets and local payment methods. With this, merchants will benefit from a wider geographical reach, connecting to over one billion consumers globally. According to Ant Group, Alipay+, introduced in 2020, is a suite of global cross-border digital payments and marketing solutions designed to enable businesses, especially SMBs, to process a wide range of mobile payment methods and reach regional and global consumers.

"Combining Alipay+ and 2C2P’s secure and comprehensive payment offerings, extensive merchant coverage and deep local knowledge of the region, this partnership is a win-win collaboration built on strengths and the shared vision to accelerate the digital transformation for businesses through innovation and best-in-class payments solutions,” said Angel Zhao, president of Ant Group’s International Business Group.

“Digital payment adoption has accelerated rapidly in recent years, spurred by the pandemic, with mobile wallet payments widely gaining momentum across Asia. Through this complementary partnership with Ant Group, 2C2P will be connected to a much larger merchant base and be well-positioned to advance our international expansion strategy," said Aung Kyaw Moe, founder and CEO of 2C2P. 

On the back of the partnership, 2C2P plans to further expand its global merchant coverage, in addition to strengthening its technology and product capabilities to better serve merchants across Southeast Asia and globally.

Ant Group has been strengthening its talent and capability building in Southeast Asia as it appointed Jia Hang as regional GM for the region in March. Based in Singapore, Ant Group's regional headquarters for Southeast Asia, Hang has more than 20 years of experience in payments and financial technology. He has played a number of important roles in Ant Group’s international operations since 2015. His most recent responsibilities include overseeing the global operation of WorldFirst and leading the payments solution team to support global and regional eCommerce marketplaces. He will also support the 10x1000 Tech for Inclusion programme as part of Ant's efforts to nurture local tech talents. 

Hang said that amidst a stronger push for businesses to recover and thrive by advancing digitally to innovate for the future, the company must be right at where its customers are. "Through continuous and close collaborations with both public and private sectors in the region, we are dedicated to helping local businesses succeed with our talents, know-how and digital capabilities," he added.

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