Ant International reported strong growth across its four core segments—Alipay+, Antom, WorldFirst, and Embedded Finance—using AI-driven technologies to enhance digitalisation and provide financial solutions globally.
Throughout 2024, the company made structural and strategic upgrades, positioning itself as a leader in digital payments and fintech services. The organisation’s ecosystem now integrates cross-border payments, advanced fintech capabilities, and inclusive lending for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs).
“This year marked a transformative phase for us,” said Peng Yang, Ant International’s CEO, emphasising the company’s dedication to fostering inclusive global growth through innovation in payments, trade, and financial services.
Based in Singapore, Ant International supports various industries worldwide, offering advanced digital solutions aimed at expanding access to financial services while promoting efficiency.
Key Developments Across Pillar Businesses
Alipay+: Strengthening Global Payment Networks
Alipay+ continued to lead the global payment landscape by collaborating with 35 mobile payment partners, including e-wallets and buy-now-pay-later apps. These partnerships connected 1.6 billion users across 66 markets to over 90 million merchants worldwide.
SMEs made up more than 90% of merchants accepting QR code payments via Alipay+. This reflects the platform’s focus on driving digital transformation for small businesses. Cross-border transactions facilitated by Alipay+ (excluding Alipay) tripled year-over-year, showcasing the platform’s impact on global payment systems.
Strategic partnerships with national QR code standards such as Singapore’s SGQR and Malaysia’s PayNet bolstered Alipay+’s presence in key markets. These initiatives strengthened Ant International’s digital payment ecosystem while supporting its other business pillars.
Antom: Enhancing Merchant Payment Solutions
Antom, a provider of end-to-end digital payment services, nearly doubled its total payment volume between January and November 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
Its card processing services saw a tenfold increase in volume, delivering improved authorisation rates for global merchants. Innovations like Antom Copilot reduced payment integration time to minutes, while Antom EasySafePay eliminated payment redirection during digital wallet transactions. These advancements boosted payment success rates and reduced operational costs for merchants.
WorldFirst: Leading Cross-Border Payment Services
WorldFirst, acquired five years ago, reached a total payment volume (TPV) of $100 billion annually in 2024—four times higher than in 2020. The platform now serves over 1 million SMEs worldwide, with cumulative TPV surpassing $300 billion.
Having initially focused on Asia and Europe, WorldFirst has extended its services globally, providing seamless digital payment and financial solutions for international businesses.
Embedded Finance: AI-Powered Lending and Financial Solutions
The Embedded Finance division used AI and blockchain technologies to provide cutting-edge financial services, including FX management and inclusive lending.
The Time-Series Transformer AI FX Model improved currency prediction accuracy to over 90%, reducing costs and uncertainty for multinational merchants. Real-time cross-border settlements powered by blockchain processed over one-third of Ant International’s total transactions in 2024.
Inclusive lending expanded through the launch of bettr, a credit service under ANEXT Bank in Singapore. The service supports underserved communities in emerging markets like Bangladesh and Indonesia by offering uncollateralised loans to 11 million micro-businesses and first-time borrowers. Loan volumes across SME financing doubled compared to 2023.
Peng Yang affirmed that Ant International remains committed to supporting SMEs globally through its innovative financial technologies and partnerships.
Ant International has achieved significant advancements in 2024, showcasing innovation in digital payments, AI-driven financial services, and SME inclusion.
