Octopus partners with PayPay to solve HKers' travel pain points

Octopus Cards has partnered up with Japan's PayPay, allowing Hong Kong travellers to make instant payments in Hong Kong dollars at millions of Japanese merchants.

PayPay dominates Japan's mobile payment landscape with over 65 million registered users and commands approximately two-thirds of the country's code-based payment market share, according to the release. The partnership grants Octopus App users seamless access to PayPay's extensive network spanning convenience stores, restaurants, electronics retailers, pharmacies, hotels, and taxi services across Japan.

Through the dedicated "travel page" in the Octopus app, Hong Kong users can complete transactions using either customer-scans-merchant QR codes or merchant-scans-customer QR codes, eliminating currency exchange complications while supporting both mobile Octopus and Octopus wallet top-up methods.

This Japan integration represents Octopus's latest milestone in cross-border payment innovation, building on successful expansions into mainland China through the Octopus UnionPay Card covering over 30 million merchants, the "Octopus – China T-Union Card" spanning 336+ cities, and ZeroPay in South Korea and PromptPay QR code payments in Thailand. The Japan collaboration leverages TBCASoft's cross-border payment network to deliver seamless international connectivity.

With Japan welcoming 2.68 million Hong Kong visitors in 2024, ranking Hong Kong as the fourth-largest source market, this partnership directly addresses substantial demand from Hong Kong's travel-focused population.

Tim Ying, CEO of Octopus, said, "Customer needs drive every innovation we pursue. This PayPay partnership solves real travel pain points while advancing our vision of seamless cross-border payments. We're building the most comprehensive international payment ecosystem for Hong Kong users, and Japan represents a crucial market where convenience matters most."

Masamichi Yasuda, executive vice president of PayPay, said, "We are delighted to partner with Octopus to bring a smooth and convenient payment experience to users from Hong Kong. Moving forward, we will continue to actively collaborate with domestic and international partners to contribute to the widespread adoption of cashless payments in Japan."

Ling Wu, founder and CEO of TBCASoft, said, "This collaboration with Octopus is a significant milestone in the development journey of the HIVEX® Network, marking our steady progress towards becoming a global mobile payment network. We are not only connecting wallets but also building a multi-faceted architecture with scalability, interoperability, and data sovereignty, redefining the future of digital finance. Octopus, as a household name, is deeply trusted by consumers, and we are very pleased to help it expand into markets beyond Hong Kong through HIVEX."

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Octopus for more information. 

Beyond Japan, Octopus Cards also partnered with Chinese fintech company PingPong to provide more efficient and secure online cross-border payment solutions for businesses entering the Hong Kong market. PingPong has cited the expansion of various internet companies and consumer brands in Hong Kong, including Didi (滴滴), NetEase Games (網易遊戲), Heytea (喜茶), and Pop Mart (泡泡瑪特).

On a separate note, Octopus Cards also launched a digital yuan (e-CNY) top-up service earlier this year, enabling mainland visitors to have a seamless payment experience in the city and pay like locals.

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