Italy-based fintech Tinaba has partnered with China-based Ant Group to enable Italians to make direct payments in Asia using the Tinaba app. Following the partnership, Tinaba’s customers will be able to make payments to over 2.5 million local merchants in Asia directly via the Tinaba app.

Italian travellers to South Korea and Malaysia can now make cross-border payments via QR codes at partner merchants supported by Alipay+. This offering will, reportedly, be further extended to Qatar and Australia in the following weeks, and it is expected to expand further in the coming months to other Asian nations with the aim of facilitating payments over the entire continent. According to the official statement, Tinaba is the first fintech in Europe to integrate Alipay+ for online and offline payments to expedite its worldwide growth.

More details about the partnership This is not the first collaboration between Tinaba and the Ant Group, but rather an expansion of the already existent 2019 partnership between Ant Group, Tinaba, and Banca Profilo. The existing partnership has proven advantageous for Chinese travellers who visit Italy, as they can make payments and access promotions for Italian stores, restaurants, cabs, and at tourist attractions via the Alipay app. Reportedly, the ongoing expansion of the partnership also involves extending this experience to cater to other Asian travellers.

This is similarly made possible through the collaborative efforts of Alipay+ and Tinaba. According to the press release, a representative from Tinaba has provided insights into the reasoning behind the partnership with Ant Group by referencing the need to provide Italian globetrotters with the option to pay with their mobile devices in their preferred languages. This solution aims to limit concerns regarding carrying cash or dealing with foreign exchange.

The official further added that the company takes pride in being the first European provider to extend this technological offering made possible by combining the Western credit card payment network with the QR code technology prevalent in the East. The larger context News of the expanding partnership comes at a time when there has been continuous interest in expanding payment options for travellers. This has been accentuated by the new surge in travel spending.

In the aftermath of the pandemic, there has been a clear consumer demand for the adoption of convenient payment methods. Even more to this point, research has showcased a global increase in the adoption and demand for digital payments, with Asia leading the way. The travel industry has also experienced a notable shift towards digitalisation and the incorporation of customers' preferred payment methods, thus reflecting the broader trend of embracing digital solutions.

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