Alipay joins European mobile wallets for payment interoperability

Six European mobile wallets have collaborated with Alipay to promote QR code-based digital payment interoperability for travellers both in Europe and from China.

Bluecode, ePassi, momo pocket, Pagaqui, Pivo, Vipps and Alipay are working towards adopting a unified QR code, which will enable users to make payments with their home apps to local merchants in 10 European countries where those apps are accepted.

At the same time, merchants that already accept mobile payments via the six apps in their respective domestic markets will also be able to easily accept payments made by customers of the other countries covered by the collaboration. In addition, Alipay’s Chinese users can also make payments to merchants that accept these wallets.

Helsinki-based ePassi and Oslo-based Vipps have started to prepare the roll-out of this QR code format for users across several Nordic countries, while the Spanish payment company Momo, Portugal’s Pagaqui and Austria’s Bluecode intend to extend the collaboration further later this summer, in their respective home markets.

Built on the back of a similar partnership announced in December between two Nordic firms, Vipps and ePassi, and China-based Alipay, this collaboration is expected to expand into more European countries and companies in the future.

The collaboration will bring together the six mobile wallet partners’ users, which are more than five million in total, and around 190,000 merchants in Europe. Meanwhile, Alipay currently serves over one billion users with its Asia-based local e-wallets partners.

“This unique cooperation is a testament to how collaboration in Europe can simplify the market for businesses and users to create better outcome for everyone.” said Rune Garbog, chief executive of Vipps.

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