Ant International is set to collaborate with National Interbank Transaction Management and Exchange (National ITMX) to enhance connectivity of payments between merchants in Thailand and consumers in China through PromptPay, with launch expected in the near future.
The partnership will be under the supervision of the Bank of Thailand, which introduced PromptPay in 2016.
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Operated by NITMX, PromptPay serves as Thailand’s national payment infrastructure, enabling a variety of payment services, including cross-border transactions with regional digital applications.
The country’s Krungthai Bank has been designated as the settlement bank for the cross-border QR code payment collaboration.
Initially, Chinese visitors to Thailand can make QR code payments at various local merchants by scanning PromptPay QR codes using Alipay, Ant International’s Alipay+ e-wallet ecosystem partner.
Krungthai Bank Retail Banking Product & Strategy Group head Nareerut Ariyaprayoon highlighted that the bank’s involvement will not only facilitate spending for Chinese tourists in Thailand but also enhance income opportunities for the country’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
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By GlobalDataNational ITMX managing director Chatchai Dusadenoad said: “The launch of cross-border payment services between PromptPay and Alipay marks not only a significant enhancement of convenience for travellers from both countries, but also opens new business opportunities for Thai merchants of all sizes – from small entrepreneurs to large enterprises – by connecting Thailand’s payment infrastructure to the global financial network.”
Since 2015, Alipay has been operational in Thailand, facilitating transactions in the travel sector.
In addition to payment services, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, in partnership with Ant International, introduced an in-app travel hub within Alipay last year.
Singapore-headquartered Ant International has operations spread across Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia.
In September 2025, Ant International was appointed as an inaugural foreign institution partner for China’s Cross-border Interconnection Payment Gateway. This initiative is overseen by the People’s Bank of China and the Payment & Clearing Association of China.
