Ant International Opens First Middle East Office in Saudi Arabia in Drive to Expand Regional Partnership

The Singapore-headquartered company aims to introduce cutting-edge financial and digitisation technology to support digital transformation for the business community in the region and beyond. Ant International and its key business pillars will explore opportunities for serving local acquirers and merchants, with the introduction of the unified payment solution, Antom, scheduled for later this year. Recently independent from Ant Group, Ant International works with global banks, e-payment partners and industry platforms to serve over 90 million merchants globally across 200 markets. The Middle East is one of its key strategic markets.

Ant International, a leading global digital payment, digitisation and financial technology provider, has opened a new office location in the central business district of Al-Olaya, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), following its successful technical certification as a Payment Technical Service Provider (PTSP) from Saudi Central Bank (SAMA).

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Leiming Chen, Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer of Ant International, and Gary Liu, General Manager of Antom, led the opening ceremony in Riyadh, KSA (Photo: Business Wire)

With the new office launch, Ant International will work more closely with local partners in the payment ecosystem to provide innovative payment solutions and inclusive financial services to local acquirers and merchants, especially SMEs doing business in KSA to empower their sustainable growth. This move also positions Riyadh as a hub for international businesses looking to initiate operations in Saudi Arabia, further enhancing its role as a key player in the global business landscape.

Antom is one of Ant International’s business pillars, a unified digital payment solution for merchants. Antom will start operation in the local market later this year, enabling e-commerce acquirers and local merchants to achieve new growth, while aligning with the economic priorities which SAMA has laid out for the Kingdom.

Leiming Chen, Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer of Ant International, said: “The opening of our Riyadh office represents a significant milestone for Ant International in the Middle East, and strong commitment from Ant International to contribute to the economic growth of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – with the creation of local fintech jobs, inclusion initiatives and a boost to digital transformation in the region.

“Under the continued support and guidance of SAMA and the Ministry of Investment (MISA), we’ve taken our first steps to support businesses of all sizes across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by offering digital inclusion, and we plan to bring Ant International’s innovative business pillars to the Kingdom in time. We greatly value the strong, dynamic payment market in Saudi Arabia, which has been shaped by SAMA’s progressive policies and the Kingdom’s vibrant economy, providing a great environment for innovation and sustainable growth.”

Antom has established local acquiring capabilities across more than 40 markets. It enables merchants to seamlessly integrate with hundreds of payment methods – including credit and debit cards, online banking and digital wallets – and facilitates transactions in over 100 currencies. It also customises payment solutions to meet the distinct needs of various industries.

In the future, Antom payment services, including its advanced payment gateway solution, will support local businesses operating in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia via innovative technologies. It seeks to enhance merchants’ operations through AI-routed payment orchestration, LLM-powered merchant services and advanced security measures. These solutions aim to reduce costs, improve efficiency and transaction security, and streamline foreign exchange risk management. Additionally, companies will be able to refine customer targeting by utilising Antom’s digital marketing tools and privacy-computing solutions.

“Ant International’s entry into KSA with Antom payment services aligns closely with the priorities of SAMA, providing stability and consumer protection, supporting KSA consumers to buy safely and conveniently through digital payment methods, and growing KSA’s fintech sector through the creation of local jobs and talent inclusion programs,” said Mr. Chen.

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 realize their growth aspirations through a comprehensive range of tech-driven digital payment and financial services solutions.

About Antom

Ant International’s Antom is the leading payment and digitisation services provider for merchants around the world. It offers one-stop, vertical-specific digital payment solutions to meet the payment needs of merchants of all sizes. Antom has established local acquiring capabilities in over 40 markets, with the flexibility to accept payments in more than 100 currencies. It also provides digital marketing solutions and merchant digitisation services to help merchants in digital operations and to better engage with their customers. To learn more, please visit https://www.antom.com/.

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