Digital Payments Become Trending Payment Method for Global Merchants Operating in SEA, Ant International’s Antom Insights Show

Digital payments have become the preferred payment method among shoppers in Southeast Asia when they purchase on global online platforms, Antom revealed today at the 2024 INCLUSION· Conference on the Bund, a global summit for technology and financial industry, in Shanghai.

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Antom shared insights on global payment trends at the INCLUSION Conference, highlighting how payment innovations are helping merchants establish and grow in global markets. (From right to left: Jerry Li, Director of Global Strategic Partnerships, Antom, Ant International; Barbara Yu, Head of Product, Antom, Ant International; Eva Zhao, Marketing Director, POP MART International; Hang Wen, CTO, Xide International; and William Yang, Head of Growth, Antom, Ant International) (Photo: Business Wire)

From the perspective of payment preferences, local real-time methods such as DANA (Indonesia), Touch 'n Go eWallet (Malaysia), and TrueMoney (Thailand) dominate the SEA region, with Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) also on the rise. In Europe and the Americas, card payments remain mainstream, though mobile payments are also growing rapidly, and BNPL and instalment plans are gaining popularity among young population, according to Antom, a leading merchant payment and digitization services provider under Ant international.

By leveraging AI technology and a wide-reaching network of payment channel partnerships, Antom has established local acquiring capabilities in over 40 countries globally, enabling businesses to integrate hundreds of payment methods and supports transactions in over 100 currencies. The company offers merchants tailored online and offline payment services, as well as digitization and digital marketing solutions, to support their global growth.

Chinese merchants going global is one of the most important customer bases that Antom serves. According to Antom, sectors such as e-commerce, online travel agents (OTAs), and transportation saw particularly strong growth in transaction volume, driven by the rapid development of standalone e-commerce websites and the robust recovery of the global travel market.

Southeast Asia is one of the most popular markets for Chinese businesses, with Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand being key markets. The region’s strategic location, booming digital economy, large young consumer base, and high mobile payment penetration rate are attracting an increasing number of Chinese enterprises.

“Chinese companies are entering a new phase of global expansion, placing greater emphasis on product innovation, localized operations, and brand building. Payments are a critical component in connecting merchants and consumers,” said Barbara Yu, Head of Product at Antom. “Take Southeast Asia as an example. In addition to offering a one-stop local acquiring solution across six countries in the region for merchants, Antom leverages its technology and extensive payment channel coverage to optimize every step of the transaction process, improving conversion rates and payment success rates, and maximizing the return on these companies’ marketing investments.”

Antom’s EasySafePay feature allows users to complete the entire payment process within the merchant’s App, enhancing the payment success rate and building consumer trust through a seamless payment experience. Antom Payment Orchestration, an all-in-one payment management Software as a Service (SaaS) platform, enables businesses to quickly connect with hundreds of payment methods globally, providing centralized, intelligent management of multiple payment channels, saving merchants roughly two-thirds of the time and technical resources. Additionally, Antom Co-pilot, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistant powered by Large Language Model (LLM), offers customized payment solutions and technical integration recommendations for merchants.

“Antom integrated multiple payment channels for us, reducing costs and allowing us to focus more on product development and operations. With Antom's support, we also improved channel management and enhanced payment stability,” said Hang Wen, CTO of Xide International, a global fashion brand expanding rapidly in the European and American markets.

He shared that the company focuses on developing clothing for 20 to 30-year-olds in Europe and North America. For customer acquisition, they target Instagram and live-streaming platforms, staying aligned with market trends. The brand also prioritizes localization, adjusting products, website design, and payment methods to fit the consumer habits of each market.

William Yang, Antom’s Head of Growth, introduced Antom’s digital services and growth tools, highlighting how businesses can quickly set up online stores in multiple digital wallets or Apps. The company also provides digital marketing solutions that drive user growth and improve payment conversion rates. It enables targeted customer engagement through tailor-made promotions, powered by privacy-preserving technology and partnerships with payment Apps.

"Digital payment innovations have inspired our international marketing strategies. Antom helped us implement targeted campaigns, attracting users more effectively and enhancing the customer experience,” said Shuai Zhao, Marketing Director of POP MART. “We expect its all-in-one digital marketing solutions to further boost traffic and improve operations."

POP MART is a leading toy brand operating in markets including Southeast Asia, East Asia, North America, Europe and Australia. By leveraging global artists and IP resources, it has built a diverse product line that attracts users worldwide. Fan engagement is a core strategy in POP MART's business development.

“The integration of trade and technology plays a pivotal role in shaping the global economy. At Ant International, we are committed to using innovative technologies to accelerate the digital transformation of commerce. Antom's goal is to empower global businesses with advanced payment solutions and digitization services, fostering sustainable growth in an increasingly interconnected marketplace,” said Leiming Chen, Chief Sustainability Officer of Ant International.

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About Antom

Ant International’s Antom is a leading provider of payment and digitization services to merchants worldwide. Antom provides one-stop, vertical-specific digital payment solutions to meet the payment needs for merchants of all sizes, especially SMEs. With a presence in over 150 markets, Antom currently supports merchants in over 40 markets with the flexibility to accept payments in more than 100 currencies. Antom also provides digital marketing solutions and merchant digitization services to help merchant in digital operations and to better engage with their customers.

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