Flywire has expanded its partnership with Tencent's TenPay Global so Chinese students can use Weixin Pay for tuition payments at universities in South Korea and Malaysia.
The move extends Flywire's existing work with Weixin Pay, which is also known as WeChat Pay. It adds a new payment route for Chinese students who study in two of Asia's fastest-growing higher education markets.
Flywire is a Boston-based payments software company. It operates a global network for high-value cross-border payments in sectors such as education.
TenPay Global is Tencent's cross-border payments platform. It connects the Weixin app with banks and payment partners worldwide.
Growing student flows
The service focuses on Chinese students who choose to study within Asia rather than in Western markets. Many students favour regional destinations because of geography, cultural links and perceived value.
Chinese enrolment in Malaysia has risen sharply in recent years. The number of Chinese students there has increased fivefold since 2019 to more than 47,000 in 2024.
South Korea has also attracted more Chinese students. It hosted around 73,500 Chinese students in 2024.
Flywire said the extended partnership with TenPay Global will address these flows. It said it will connect Chinese payers using Weixin Pay with universities in South Korea and Malaysia.
"As Chinese students increasingly choose to pursue studies closer to home, Flywire is executing a strategy to digitize high-value payments across these critical, high-growth corridors," said Calvin Chen, VP of Payments, Flywire. "By deepening our collaboration with TenPay Global and connecting Weixin Pay directly within the payment journey for Chinese students bound for South Korea and Malaysia, we are providing the seamless, localized experience that Chinese students demand while helping our institutional clients capture this substantial new payment volume efficiently."
RMB payments in app
The integration lets Chinese students and their families initiate and complete tuition payments in Renminbi. They do this within the Weixin or WeChat mobile app.
This direct connection removes the need for separate foreign exchange steps. It also reduces reliance on traditional cross-border bank transfers.
Flywire said this process can shorten settlement times. It said it can also cut errors that occur when students and universities handle manual transfers.
Receiving institutions in South Korea and Malaysia get funds in their own currencies. The system reconciles incoming payments against student accounts.
Flywire said this improves visibility of incoming funds for universities. It said it also supports cash flow planning and back-office processes.
TenPay Global role
TenPay Global runs Tencent's cross-border payment infrastructure. It works with licensed financial institutions and payment partners.
The platform links Weixin users with overseas merchants and institutions. It supports use cases such as remittances and cross-border consumer payments.
TenPay Global said the extended link with Flywire reflects its focus on user experience.
"We are committed to enhancing the experience for our users, and this expansion with Flywire allows us to provide the familiar convenience of using Weixin Pay for Chinese students in these popular regional markets," said Wenhui Yang, CEO of TenPay Global (Singapore). "For Chinese students studying in South Korea and Malaysia, paying their tuition becomes easy and reliable, further validating our seamless approach to cross-border payments."
Education market push
Flywire has made education a core vertical in its global strategy. It works with universities and schools on international tuition collection and reconciliation.
The company supports more than 4,900 clients worldwide. It offers payment options in over 140 currencies and covers more than 240 countries and territories.
Flywire embeds its software in clients' accounts receivable workflows. It also integrates with enterprise resource planning systems such as NetSuite.
China remains the world's largest source of outbound students. Shifts in visa rules and geopolitical tensions have encouraged some students to look at regional alternatives.
South Korea and Malaysia have promoted themselves as regional higher education hubs. They have invested in English-language programmes and joint degrees with foreign universities.
The new Weixin Pay option gives Chinese students a locally familiar way to pay in this context. It also gives universities in South Korea and Malaysia access to payment tools that match these enrolment trends.
Flywire and TenPay Global plan to build on the expanded integration as student mobility patterns within Asia continue to evolve.
