The payment service provider Wirecard will collaborate with Alipay – a company of the Ant Financial Services Group, which is an affiliate of the Alibaba Group – to launch a mobile payment acceptance technology on the European market for QR code-based alternative payment methods. To this end, Wirecard has developed an app, with which retailers across Europe can accept and process Alipay payments through a simple scanning procedure. The solution is targeted at high street retailers in Europe who wish to offer Chinese tourists China’s leading mobile payment method, Alipay. Retailers will soon be able to download the ‘Scan Alipay’ iOS app from the app store – integration with POS systems is not necessary. An Android version will follow in the course of this year.

The app will be taken up predominantly by catering establishments and clothing retailers. These two sectors benefit in particular from the promising growth in tourism from China. The App offers retailers a simple entrance to benefit from Alipay payment acceptance and can also be used by large retail chains as a way to deploy Alipay as a new payment method without large integration efforts at selected POS (Point-of-Sales).

Rita Liu, Head of Europe at Alipay, comments, “We are pleased that our partnership with Wirecard is developing so well. With the new app, we offer a simple possibility to deploy the Alipay acceptance that generated a mobile payment experience which will benefit retailers in Europe, and consumers from Asia, alike. Our customers have a strong sense of loyalty to the Alipay brand. We are sure that tourists will look to use this domestic payment method in Europe more and more often.”

Jörn Leogrande, Executive Vice President Mobile Services at Wirecard, adds, “The Alipay solution is unique within Europe and around the world. We are proud to take this step together with Alipay, which will provide the easiest way for retailers in Europe to offer this Chinese payment method. We see great potential in the growing number of Chinese tourists and businessmen travelling to Europe. This is why we also plan to strengthen our collaboration in the future, so that we can win over the target market with state-of-the-art payment solutions.”

Its ease of use means that the app is attractive for all retailers: a customer making a cashless payment with their Alipay App simply needs to show the retailer the barcode on their smartphone display. All the retailer is required to do is enter the amount payable into the ‘Scan Alipay’ app on a mobile device – in US dollars, euro or British pounds – and then scan the QR code on the customer’s smartphone. This is all that is necessary to complete the transaction. Payment processing is then handled by Wirecard Bank. Retailers will be able to acquire the app soon by simply downloading it for free from the App Store.