Global giant Alipay+ goes live in Sri Lanka in boost to leisure and business tourism

From left: LankaPay CEO Channa de Silva, Chairman L.H.A. Lakshman Silva,  Ant International General Manager – South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand and Global Strategic Partnerships Edward Yue and  Country Manager Thailand, South Asia and  Indochina Sittipong Kittiprapapong – Pic by Upul Abayasekara  

• Launch of Alipay+ would represent biggest acceptance of cross-border payments in Sri Lanka
• Over 400,000 LANKAQR merchants across 
• Sri Lanka will be able to accept cross-border mobile payments from tourists and business travellers via 14 international e-wallets connected to Alipay+ in first phase
• Alipay+ connects over 1.7 b users via 36 international e-wallets and banks apps worldwide

Ant International’s cross-border mobile payment and digitalisation solution Alipay+ yesterday went live in Sri Lanka in a landmark partnership with LankaPay – Sri Lanka’s national payment network giving a boost to leisure and business tourism in the country.

Under the partnership over 400,000 LANKAQR merchants across Sri Lanka will be able to accept cross-border mobile payments from tourists and business travellers via 14 international e-wallets connected to Alipay+ during the first phase. Alipay+ is one of the key offerings of Ant International, a leading global digital payment, digitisation and financial technology provider.

Ant International’s cross-border mobile payment and digitalisation solution, now connects over 1.7 billion users via 36 international e-wallets and banks apps worldwide. During the initial phase, travellers from 10 countries and regions can simply scan the LANKAQR code at more than 400,000 merchants across the island to make payments, just as they are used to at home. 

The Alipay+ partners enabled for cross-border payment acceptance in Sri Lanka in the first phase include: Alipay (Chinese mainland), AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR), MPay (Macao SAR), Hipay (Mongolia), GCash (the Philippines), Changi Pay and OCBC Digital (Singapore), Touch ‘n Go eWallet and MyPB by Public Bank Berhad (Malaysia), Naver Pay and Toss Pay (South Korea), TrueMoney (Thailand), BigPay (Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand), and Tinaba (Italy). Of the 1.7 billion users of Alipay+, 1.3 billion is in China and balance 400,000 globally.

The launch of Alipay+ would represent the biggest acceptance of cross-border payments in Sri Lanka, including their partners from top inbound operators and potential markets such as Italy, Singapore, Malaysia and China, as identified by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), and other top growth markets like South Korea and Thailand. All these travellers will now be able to make seamless payments when they visit Sri Lanka, paying with their preferred home payment app/e-wallet, which not only offers added convenience to mobile-savvy customers, but also ensures more business for local merchants.

Figures from SLTDA showed steady growth in Sri Lanka’s tourism sector, with visitor arrivals increasing by 38% in 2024, compared to the year before. For 2025, Sri Lanka is targeting 3 million tourist arrivals and $ 5 billion in tourism related revenue.

LankaPay CEO Channa de Silva said: “We are delighted to partner with Ant International and enable Alipay+ cross-border payment solution, which signifies a landmark milestone in our global journey. This partnership connects us with international Alipay+ partner users worldwide, enabling them to make seamless payments during their visit to Sri Lanka, similar to their experience at home.” 

“This collaboration signifies our commitment to enhance payment convenience to tourists and business travellers to Sri Lanka and attract much needed foreign exchange into the country. Our aim is to support the country’s booming tourism sector with seamless and secure digital payments providing a greater convenience to the travellers whilst providing a cost-efficient digital payment acceptance mechanism to local merchants,” de Silva added.

Ant International General Manager for Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand Edward Yue, said: “The national LANKAQR infrastructure by the Sri Lanka Central Bank and LankaPay lays a strong foundation for the digitalisation of local businesses and we’re proud to partner with LankaPay to enhance interoperability and connect global customers to the local payment ecosystem. Tourism will be a significant driving force in the global economy and based on trends we are seeing, Sri Lanka will significantly benefit, as travellers seek rich cultural, nature and unique experiences. Beyond payments, Alipay+ also enables merchants to reach travellers through new digital services directly within mobile apps, digitalising key travel scenarios, opening new channels of engagements and driving even more vibrant and inclusive growth.”

Ant International and LankaPay will enable more Alipay+ partner e-wallet acceptance in Sri Lanka and collaborate on joint marketing efforts.

LANKAQR is a national initiative launched by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka to ensure all QR code based transactions are standardised and interoperable in Sri Lanka. Introduced in 2020, LANKAQR network is managed and operated by LankaPay, providing a platform to connect consumers, banks and merchants into a single payment network across the country.