ANT-INTERNATIONAL
15.7.2024 05:40:33 CEST | Business Wire | Press release
BNP Paribas, the European Union’s leading bank, and Ant International, a digital payment and financial technology leader, have formed a strategic partnership to enhance cross-border payment solutions for merchants and consumers in Europe.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240714753209/en/
(Clockwise from top left) Marc Espagnon, Head of Payment and Cash Management at BNP Paribas, Kelvin Li, GM of Platform Technology at Ant International, Douglas Feagin, President of Ant International and Pierre Fersztand, Global Head of Cash Management, Payments, Trade Solutions & Factoring at BNP at the MOU signing ceremony on 3 July (Photo: Business Wire)
In a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on 3 July 2024 in Zurich by Douglas Feagin, President of Ant International and Pierre Fersztand, Global Head of Cash Management, Payments, Trade Solutions & Factoring at BNP Paribas, both parties agreed to develop several key initiatives, which will see BNP Paribas working closely with Ant International and its digital payment and innovative businesses.
BNP Paribas will work with Alipay+, the cross-border mobile payment and digitalisation technology solutions operated by Ant International, to enable thousands of merchants that use BNP Paribas' acquiring service across Europe to accept payments from more than 25 international mobile partners via Alipay+.
The two sides also agreed to work together to strengthen WorldFirst’s participation in the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) scheme. WorldFirst, Ant International’s one-stop digital payment and financial services platform for global businesses, will reinforce its participation in SEPA to enable businesses to make online cross-border payments and fund transfers more seamlessly within the SEPA Zone.
BNP Paribas will sponsor WorldFirst’s participation in the SEPA scheme, allowing WorldFirst to leverage the bank’s expertise and products to expedite its integration and onboarding onto SEPA. WorldFirst’s clients will be able to access payment schemes under SEPA in real-time and automate treasury payments to optimise their operations.
In addition, BNP Paribas will explore innovations in tokenised deposits for global treasury management with Ant International, through the latter’s Whale platform. The collaboration aims to improve the efficiency and speed of global fund settlements through the use of tokenised deposits.
Ant International will leverage BNP Paribas’ infrastructure to further develop its Whale platform, a next-generation treasury management solution that utilises blockchain technology innovation, including advanced encryption and AI, to improve the efficiency and transparency of fund movement between bank accounts for better global liquidity management.
Douglas Feagin, President of Ant International, said: “Europe is an important region for Ant International, with the rise of cross-border commerce and the increase in travellers to the region, and of course, the excitement around UEFA EURO 2024 this year. Through our collaboration with a leading industry partner, we will bring together digital payments and innovative technology solutions from Ant International, with BNP Paribas’s depth of experience in the European market, to deliver greater connectivity and make global travel and trade more convenient.”
Pierre Fersztand, Global Head of Cash Management, Payments, Trade Solutions & Factoring at BNP Paribas added: “This new agreement with Ant International deepens a long-term collaboration that started in 2016 when Alipay+ was rolled-out in Europe. This is a key step in bolstering our service offering while leveraging on each other’s strengths to offer our clients the best service when it comes to cross-border payments. Additionally, we are keen to foster innovation with such a key player to develop tomorrow’s treasury management standards.”
About Ant International
Headquartered in Singapore, Ant International powers the future of global commerce with digital innovation for everyone and every business to thrive. In close collaboration with partners, we support merchants of all sizes worldwide to realise their growth aspirations through a comprehensive range of tech-driven digital payment and financial services solutions.
About Alipay+
Alipay+ is a suite of cross-border mobile payment and digitalisation technology solutions that help connect global merchants to consumers. Consumers enjoy seamless payment and a broad choice of deals using their preferred payment methods while travelling abroad. Small and medium-sized businesses may use Alipay+ digital tools to enhance efficiency and achieve omni-channel growth.
About WorldFirst
WorldFirst is meeting the needs of SMEs engaged in international trade to expand globally. This includes global collection, making payments, currency conversion, risk management, and supply chain financing to help SMEs reduce costs and improve turnover efficiency to generate more revenue, and quickly capture global business opportunities. WorldFirst, which employs AI and other cutting-edge technologies for risk control, prioritises the safety and security of client funds above all else and has a leading fraud-prevention track record in the industry. WorldFirst has served one million customers worldwide and is connected to over 120 marketplaces. WorldFirst was founded in 2004 and joined Ant Group in 2019.
Learn more about WorldFirst at https://www.worldfirst.com/sg/.
About BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas is the European Union’s leading bank and key player in international banking. It operates in 63 countries and has nearly 183,000 employees, including more than 145,000 in Europe. The Group has key positions in its three main fields of activity: Commercial, Personal Banking & Services for the Group’s commercial & personal banking and several specialised businesses including BNP Paribas Personal Finance and Arval; Investment & Protection Services for savings, investment and protection solutions; and Corporate & Institutional Banking, focused on corporate and institutional clients. Based on its strong diversified and integrated model, the Group helps all its clients (individuals, community associations, entrepreneurs, SMEs, corporates and institutional clients) to realise their projects through solutions spanning financing, investment, savings and protection insurance. In Europe, BNP Paribas has four domestic markets: Belgium, France, Italy and Luxembourg. The Group is rolling out its integrated commercial & personal banking model across several Mediterranean countries, Turkey, and Eastern Europe. As a key player in international banking, the Group has leading platforms and business lines in Europe, a strong presence in the Americas as well as a solid and fast-growing business in Asia-Pacific. BNP Paribas has implemented a Corporate Social Responsibility approach in all its activities, enabling it to contribute to the construction of a sustainable future, while ensuring the Group's performance and stability.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240714753209/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Samsung Research Reveals Over Half of Europeans Admit to Looking at a Stranger's Phone Screen in Public – With Nearly a Quarter Doing so out of Sheer Curiosity1.4.2026 08:00:00 CEST | Press release
From dating apps to financial details, respondents report seeing a wide range of highly personal information on others' screens 56% of people admit to having looked at strangers’ phone screens accidentally, whereas 24% have done so out of curiosity. 57% identify public transport as the most likely place to notice someone else's screen. While 48%* feel confident they can keep their phone activity private when using it in crowded places, another 52%** acknowledge it is easy to see someone’s screen who is next to you in a public place without trying to look. 33% say they have seen personal content on a stranger’s phone in public. Some smartphone users who have looked at a stranger’s phone screen in public ignore and continue what they were doing (28%) or look away immediately (27%), but others (7%) admit to continuing to look discreetly. The new Samsung Galaxy S26 Privacy Display1 limits side-angle viewing of your screen to protect your privacy in any setting. As millions of Europeans2 ge
RevolKa Reimagines Antibody Engineering with "RevoAb®"1.4.2026 06:30:00 CEST | Press release
A Same-day Sequence Optimization Service to Elevate Antibody Expression Levels by RevolKa’s advanced AI Protein Engineering Engine RevolKa Ltd. (RevolKa), a venture-backed biotech company providing an advanced AI protein engineering technology platform, called aiProtein®, is pleased to announce the official global launch of RevoAb®, an innovative and quick online service for antibody sequence optimization to solve challenges in physicochemical properties, especially antibodyyields. RevoAb®:The Next-Gen AI Antibody Design Since December 2023, RevolKa has provided an antibody optimization services utilizing aiProtein®. The newly launched RevoAb® is a quick intuitive online antibody sequence optimization service that integrates RevolKa’s core technology—the "Refined Naturalness Framework Engineering". RevoAb® is designed to generate antibody framework sequences optimized for improved physicochemical properties, especially protein expression levels, without trade-off of affinity. This allo
Global Beauty Market Grows 10% as AI and E-commerce Reshape Consumer Buying1.4.2026 03:00:00 CEST | Press release
Online sales outpace in-store by 6x as digital-first and AI-influenced commerce accelerates globally NielsenIQ (NYSE:NIQ), a global leader in consumer intelligence, today released its State of Beauty 2026 report, showing the global beauty market grew 10% year-on-year, with E-commerce expanding six times faster than in-store sales. The findings highlight a rapid shift to digital-first, AI-influenced commerce across key global markets. As consumer expectations evolve toward convenience, personalization, and seamless digital experiences, beauty brands are under increasing pressure to adapt. From AI-powered product discovery to social commerce and livestream shopping, the path to purchase is becoming more dynamic—requiring brands to move faster and engage consumers across an increasingly complex ecosystem. Key findings from the State of Beauty 2026 report: Global beauty sales grew 10% year-over-year, driven by strong digital acceleration E-commerce is growing 6x faster than in-store sales,
bet365 Partners with TestMu AI to Accelerate Global Release Velocity with Agentic AI Quality Engineering31.3.2026 19:01:00 CEST | Press release
Streamlines Hillside Technology testing across browsers and mobile devices while supporting rapid expansion into regulated markets. TestMu AI (Formerly LambdaTest), the world's first full-stack Agentic AI Quality Engineering platform, today announced that Hillside Technology Limited, the technology powerhouse behind global online gambling leader bet365, has adopted its platform to unify software testing and support hundreds of weekly production releases. The global online gaming industry is currently experiencing a massive shift, with the market projected to exceed $150 billion by 2030. As mobile gaming becomes the primary touchpoint for users, the technical complexity of delivering a seamless, low-latency experience has grown exponentially. For industry giants like bet365, the need to validate software across an infinite matrix of hardware, screen resolutions, and OS versions is a mission-critical requirement. This partnership ensures that, as gaming becomes more mobile-centric, bet36
IFF Secures First Heart Health Claim for Soy Protein in Australia and New Zealand31.3.2026 16:00:00 CEST | Press release
Regulatory milestone opens heart health growth opportunities for food and beverage manufacturers IFF (NYSE: IFF), a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients and health & biosciences announced today that a new heart health claim for isolated soy protein has been accepted by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). The approval enables food and beverage manufacturers in Australia and New Zealand to link soy protein consumption with healthy blood cholesterol levels. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260330523416/en/ First heart health claim approved for soy protein in Australia and New Zealand. “For decades, IFF has invested in the science behind soy protein and its role in supporting cardiovascular health,” said Tony Andrew, vice president of protein solutions for IFF Food Ingredients. “This approved claim validates years of rigorous research and collaboration. With our deep expertise in ing
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom