Payments Network Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PayNet) has announced the official launch of outbound DuitNow QR payment connectivity through Alipay+, the unified cross-border wallet gateway operated by Ant International. This strategic development means that millions of Malaysians can now seamlessly use their preferred local mobile banking applications to pay for goods and services at participating, Alipay+-supported merchants across five key international destinations: the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong SAR, South Korea, the Philippines, and Laos. PayNet has confirmed that additional markets will be integrated progressively as the rollout expands.
At the onset of this new service, the initial three launch institutions driving adoption are Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank), CIMB Bank Bhd, and Hong Leong Bank Bhd, with Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad scheduled to join their ranks shortly. This launch forms a critical component of PayNet’s broader, long-term roadmap aimed at extending secure, efficient, and interoperable payment connectivity far beyond Malaysia’s geographical borders. It also directly aligns with Bank Negara Malaysia’s national vision for fostering a faster, more cost-effective, and highly inclusive cross-border payment ecosystem.
The operational mechanism behind the new feature is designed to maximize convenience for consumers without requiring cumbersome technical workarounds. When traveling or conducting transactions at participating merchants in any of the five supported destinations, customers simply need to open the DuitNow QR payment function within their existing Malaysian mobile banking application. They then scan the merchant’s QR code—provided it displays the recognized Alipay+ logo—review the transaction details, and confirm the payment securely within the same application. Crucially, users are spared the friction of downloading secondary travel apps, registering for foreign accounts, or manually exchanging physical currency into different foreign reserves before making a purchase.
Praveen Rajan, Chief Executive Officer of PayNet, emphasized the transformative potential of making international commerce feel as natural as domestic transactions. He noted that this new connectivity grants Malaysians a vastly simplified, secure method to handle payments abroad while simultaneously demonstrating the profound value of strategic collaborations between domestic financial institutions and global payment infrastructure providers. Rajan added that expanding Malaysia’s national payment footprint beyond local borders helps facilitate smoother spending flows across international boundaries, thereby strengthening Malaysia’s vital economic ties with key regional partners.
This latest milestone naturally builds upon the foundation laid by an existing collaboration between PayNet and Ant International through Alipay+. Since November 2023, international travelers carrying supported Alipay+ partner foreign wallets have enjoyed the ability to pay at DuitNow QR merchants spanning the length and breadth of Malaysia. This inbound interoperability has empowered countless local businesses—particularly small and medium-sized enterprises—to capture and benefit from international visitor spending through DuitNow QR, which serves as Malaysia’s national QR standard. In turn, this frictionless payment environment has provided continuous, robust support to the country’s tourism economy, aligning neatly with national initiatives such as Visit Malaysia 2026-2027.
The newly introduced outbound capability successfully extends this bidirectional connectivity in the reverse direction, permitting customers of participating Malaysian banks to execute transactions at international Alipay+ merchants abroad. While the initial five destinations represent the primary wave of supported markets, PayNet intends to introduce additional countries progressively. Through this rollout, PayNet distinguishes itself as one of the very first national payment system operators to effectively expand global acceptance at scale through the expansive Alipay+ network.
The underlying Alipay+ ecosystem represents a massive global digital grid, connecting more than two billion cumulative user accounts across over 50 international payment partners. Furthermore, it spans a merchant network exceeding 150 million businesses located in more than 210 markets, encompassing more than 10 distinct national payment schemes, of which PayNet is a prominent participant.
Danny Chung, General Manager of the Alipay+ Global Growth Center at Ant International, reflected on the expanding alliance, pointing out that the partnership mirrors a shared dedication to elevating Malaysia’s national financial infrastructure onto the global stage. He noted that by anchoring domestic networks more deeply into the international digital economy, Alipay+ empowers national payment systems to establish robust, two-way interoperable connectivity. This enables these systems to assume a much larger role in facilitating international travel, stimulating cross-border commerce, unlocking expansive commercial opportunities for both businesses and consumers, and ultimately driving a more inclusive digital economic expansion.
This major infrastructural expansion arrives against a backdrop of surging cross-border payment activity within Malaysia. Highlighting the rapidly growing demand for international digital financial services, PayNet recorded nearly 30 million cross-border transactions throughout 2025. This figure represents an extraordinary year-on-year increase of approximately 150 percent compared to the performance observed in 2024, with transactions heavily linked to the Chinese Mainland driving a significant portion of this growth trajectory.
Looking ahead, the Alipay+ outbound QR payment capability has been architected to allow straightforward adoption by other financial institutions and electronic wallet operators participating in the PayNet network. This structural openness will allow an even broader base of local consumers to access streamlined overseas QR payment services directly through their existing daily banking apps. Moving forward, PayNet intends to maintain close collaboration with financial sector regulators, banking institutions, and regional partners to continuously scale the service across an even wider selection of applications and international markets.
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