Ant International powers SME growth with AI fintech

Ant International said it processed more than 2 billion digital cross-border transactions across its core emerging markets in 2025 and increased its global merchant base to more than 150 million.

The company said the activity came from Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. It said 90% of the merchants it serves are small and medium-sized enterprises.

The update provides a snapshot of how Ant International's business units performed across payments, cross-border commerce and credit in markets where QR payments and mobile wallets continue to grow.

Douglas Feagin, President of Ant International, framed the focus around adoption of artificial intelligence in financial services.

"In the world's fastest growing emerging markets, real-world, trusted and scalable adoption of AI and other new technologies can unlock entirely new growth opportunities for businesses big and small," said Douglas Feagin, President of Ant International.

Payments network

Ant International said it expanded payment connectivity through Alipay+ and Antom. It said merchants can accept QR, mobile and card payments through these services.

Alipay+ now partners with five national QR payment networks across ASEAN, the company said. It cited Singapore's SGQR and Malaysia's DuitNow QR as examples of national schemes used by travellers.

Ant International said travellers spent 2.7 times more in Singapore and 2 times more in Malaysia via SGQR and DuitNow QR respectively. It linked the figures to spending at small businesses.

In Malaysia, the company said travellers used their home e-wallet or bank app to make payments at more than 360,000 SMEs.

Alipay+ connects more than 1.8 billion user accounts across 40 international payment partners, Ant International said. It said merchants across more than 100 markets can accept payments through those connections. It also said it collaborates with 11 national QR networks globally.

Ant International also pointed to an arrangement with Mastercard. It said Alipay+ partners, including AlipayHK, GCash and Kakao Pay, can tap-to-pay via NFC across Mastercard-enabled merchants.

Merchant tools

Ant International said Antom includes an AI agent called Antom Copilot. It said the tool cut payment integration time by as much as 95% for clients. It also described Antom Payment Orchestration as a service that provides one integration for payment access and smart routing.

The company said Antom clients recorded 75% growth outside China.

Ant International also referenced 2C2P in Southeast Asia and MultiSafePay in Europe as payments platforms within the group. It said the platforms support businesses that range from airlines and online-to-offline firms to eCommerce groups and local SMEs.

It also described EPOS360 as an AI-powered app for SMEs. It said the app integrates AI tools with point-of-sale systems, payments, banking and financing.

Cross-border commerce

WorldFirst recorded nearly 40% growth in transaction value in 2025, Ant International said. It said the business entered Malaysia and Thailand during the year. It linked the increase to more Southeast Asian SMEs taking on global eCommerce.

Ant International said WorldFirst now offers payment and financial management tools across more than 200 markets and 130 e-marketplaces.

The company also reported that 2C2P, which sits under Antom, saw 38% year-on-year growth in transaction volume for merchants in Southeast Asia. It said the growth was driven by eCommerce, airlines, online travel agencies and retail. It said Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines showed strong momentum.

Credit expansion

Ant International said access to banking and financing remains a challenge for SMEs across its core markets.

Its credit technology unit Bettr expanded credit services for more than 30 million SMEs and individuals, it said. It also said Bettr expanded across Latin America following a strategic investment in R2, which it described as an embedded lending infrastructure company in the region.

In Southeast Asia, Ant International said Bettr provides credit tech solutions to four leading mobile wallets. It said this drove a 184% increase in user base.

The group also cited ANEXT Bank in Singapore. It said the bank recorded a six-fold increase in cross-border transaction volumes and that 69% of its customers are micro-businesses.

AI and security

Ant International said it open-sourced its Falcon Time-Series Transformer AI model in 2025. It said the model enhanced AirAsia's foreign exchange risk management and reduced its hedging costs by up to 40%.

The company also described its SHIELD 3-in-1 risk management transformer model. It said the system achieved 95% precision in identifying high-risk transactions and boosted payment success rates by as much as 13.5%.

Feagin said the company will continue to focus on expanding its tools across developing markets.

"It is time for fintech innovators to convert access into real growth momentum. We will work even harder to put AI-powered digital payments, financing, commerce and cross-border solutions on the ground for entrepreneurs and communities with ever lower cost and ever stronger safety and security guardrails," said Feagin.