BOCHK and Ant International Forge Strategic Partnership to Enhance Cross-border Payment Connectivity and Innovative Corporate Financial Service Solutions Through Fintech
20.8.2026 08:00:00 CEST | Business Wire | Press release
Ant International and Bank of China (Hong Kong) (“BOCHK”) announced that the two parties have forged a strategic partnership. Leveraging BOCHK’s banking strengths and Ant International’s leading fintech and AI technologies, the two parties seek to explore the frontier of AI-driven innovative financial services, empower real-time treasury management and cross-border payments, deliver efficient and intelligent liquidity management and financial service solutions for global enterprises, while continuously enhancing financial services for small and medium-sized enterprises (“SMEs”).
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260819555366/en/
From left to right: Kelvin Li, General Manager of Platform Tech and Senior Vice President of Ant International, Eric Jing, Chairman of Ant International, Sun Yu, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive of BOCHK, and Wang Huabin, Deputy Chief Executive of BOCHK
Sun Yu, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive of BOCHK, said, “BOCHK is committed to promoting cross-border financial connectivity, with deep expertise in areas such as cross-border payments, treasury management, and fintech. We are pleased to join forces with Ant International, an industry-leading fintech company, not only to explore innovative cross-border financial service solutions, but also to advance fintech innovation and application in Hong Kong, fostering mutually beneficial cooperation in cross-border finance across Southeast Asia. Capitalising on our extensive experience in cross-border personal payment settlements and corporate global liquidity management, as well as our unique strength as Bank of China’s Southeast Asia regional headquarters, BOCHK is dedicated to providing Ant International and its clients with secure and efficient cross-border financial services.”
Eric Jing, Chairman of Ant International, said, “We are proud to forge a strategic partnership with BOCHK, a trusted collaborator since 2013. By combining BOCHK’s strengths with Ant International’s, we are bringing our shared vision to life – ensuring seamless and accessible financial payments for every business and everyone. We look forward to creating even stronger synergy together, bridging our ecosystems to elevate customer satisfaction and deliver the next generation of seamless experiences that empower our users in their everyday lives.”
Ant International’s Alipay+, WorldFirst and Bettr will collaborate with BOCHK to explore in-depth cooperation in several strategic areas. These include:
Enhancing cross-border payment connectivity for global retail consumers
Building on BOCHK’s strong presence as well as product and service capabilities across Hong Kong and Southeast Asia (“SEA”), the Bank will provide Alipay+, Ant International’s unified wallet gateway, with supporting accounts and settlement banking services required for cross-border payment across SEA, hence enhancing the cross-border payment experience for Alipay+ users, while meeting local retailers’ demand for convenient and efficient cross-border payment solutions. The Alipay+ payment ecosystem currently spans over 50 mobile payment partners worldwide, covering more than 2 billion user accounts.
Closer partnership will also be sought between Ant International’s Hong Kong wallet – AlipayHK and BOCHK to enhance user experience for both BOCHK and AlipayHK customers. BOCHK customers can now link their bank accounts and credit cards to AlipayHK for peer-to-peer transfers, payments and top-ups. In the near future, BOCHK and AlipayHK will also launch joint campaigns to engage consumers through tailored marketing initiatives and exclusive user privileges.
Advancing real-time corporate liquidity management
Bettr, Ant International’s inclusive and embedded finance business, will collaborate with BOCHK to jointly explore innovations in blockchain-based solutions. Leveraging distributed ledger technology and tokenisation, a suite of real-time cash flow management and investment solutions will be tailored for Ant International, boosting flexibility and settlement efficiency in serving their global payment needs. Furthermore, combining BOCHK’s strong foreign exchange pricing capabilities and Ant International’s advanced AI technologies, both parties will jointly explore more intelligent treasury solutions to provide Ant International and its businesses with a superior service experience.
Supporting SMEs to go global
WorldFirst, Ant International’s global account service provider, will work with BOCHK to provide SMEs engaging in cross-border trade with a comprehensive suite of integrated cross-border fund management solutions, supporting Chinese enterprises to go global. Currently, WorldFirst offers businesses a one-stop cross-border financial solution covering more than 220 countries and regions, including multi-currency collection and payment, AI-powered foreign exchange services, treasury management and compliance support, enabling enterprises to expand overseas markets efficiently and securely amid complex global conditions.
Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited
Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited (“BOCHK”) is dedicated to promoting sustainable development, fully implementing a financial culture with Chinese characteristics, and actively advancing high-quality financial development. As one of the three note-issuing banks and the sole clearing bank for RMB business in Hong Kong, BOCHK has strong market positions in all our major businesses. We continue to deepen our presence in the Hong Kong market, capture business opportunities in the Greater Bay Area and actively expand our footprint in Southeast Asia.
As a leading commercial and regional bank with deep roots in Hong Kong for over a century, we are committed to serving the real economy. Guided by a customer-centric philosophy, we enhance the service experience with new technology and promote green and sustainable development, while delivering comprehensive, professional and high-quality services. Through close cooperation with our parent bank BOC, we serve the “Going Global” needs of Chinese enterprises and provide integrated cross-border service solutions to multinationals and financial institutions across various regions.
BOC Hong Kong (Holdings) Limited, the holding company of BOCHK, is one of the largest listed companies on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong. Its stock codes are “2388” (HKD counter) and “82388” (RMB counter), and its ADR OTC Symbol is “BHKLY”.
Please visit www.bochk.com for more information.
Ant International
Ant International is a leading global digital payment, digitisation and financial technology provider. Through collaboration across the private and public sectors, our unified techfin platform supports financial institutions and merchants of all sizes to achieve inclusive growth through a comprehensive range of cutting-edge digital payment and financial services solutions. To learn more, please visit https://www.ant-intl.com/.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260819555366/en/
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
Wasabi Establishes AI Business in Silicon Valley, Taps Pinaki Mukherjee to Lead as Senior Vice President & General Manager10.9.2026 15:00:00 CEST | Press release
Semiconductor and storage veteran to lead dedicated AI business to accelerate the independent storage foundation for AI labs, startups, and neocloud push as data demand grows to unprecedented scale Wasabi Technologies, the hot cloud storage company, today announced the formation of a dedicated AI business, and the appointment of semiconductor and storage veteran Pinaki Mukherjee as senior vice president and general manager to lead it. Wasabi stores hundreds of petabytes of AI data for frontier model labs, generative AI startups, and neocloud compute providers worldwide. This new AI business brings dedicated strategy, partnerships and go-to-market focus for this demand as AI infrastructure matures. “Mukherjee has a track record of driving the kind of high-value partnerships that move markets, and that’s exactly what this moment requires,” said Marty Falaro, president and COO of Wasabi. “AI workloads are pushing storage demand to a scale we've never seen, and Mukherjee is the right perso
Ant Group’s AI Health App AQ Reaches 150 Million Users as It Expands AI-powered Day-to-day Health Use Cases10.9.2026 14:47:00 CEST | Press release
At the 2026 INCLUSION · Conference on the Bund in Shanghai, Zhang Junjie, Vice President of Ant Group and Head of the Health Business, announced that Ant Group’s flagship AI health app AQ has reached 150 million users, handling nearly 20 million health inquiries per day. The new milestone also means AQ has grown its user base by 50% in just 8 months, since it announced 100 million users in February 2026, reflecting strong demand in China’s AI health space. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260910921103/en/ Ant Group’s AI health app AQ provides personalized health advice based on more than 10 health indicators. Health has become an increasingly important priority among Chinese consumers. According to Accenture’s China Consumer Insights report published in November 2025, the share of Chinese consumers who considered health a priority increased from 78% in 2021 to 87% in 2025, making it the top priority among the a
AULUMU Introduces A18 Series for iPhone 18 With Aramid Fibre, Hybrid Protection and Distinctive Finishes10.9.2026 14:43:00 CEST | Press release
Technology accessories brand aulumu has introduced the A18 Series for iPhone 18, a new collection of smartphone cases designed around lightweight protection, material innovation and distinctive visual finishes. The range includes the A18 Armor Shockproof Aramid Fiber Case, two ultra-slim aramid fibre models, the Ghost Lumen Transparent Case, and the Particle Vegan Leather Case. At the centre of the collection, the A18 Armor combines 1500D aramid fibre and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) in a one-piece construction. The hybrid structure pairs the light weight and woven texture of aramid fibre with the flexibility and cushioning properties of TPU. A full-wrap design covers the phone’s edges, while reinforced corners are intended to help distribute impact from everyday drops and bumps. The case is designed to provide drop protection from heights of up to 2 metres, with a 1.36 mm raised screen edge and a 1.3 mm raised camera frame providing additional protection around key areas. The A18
BGC Group Announces its First-Ever Fully AI Brokered Institutional Trade in Listed Equity Derivatives10.9.2026 14:30:00 CEST | Press release
Fully autonomous transaction between two institutional accounts marks milestone in AI-powered trading BGC Group Inc. (Nasdaq: BGC) (“BGC”), a leading global brokerage and financial technology company servicing financial markets, today announced it has launched Fenics AI, and that its subsidiary, Aurel BGC, has completed its first-ever fully AI brokered institutional trade in listed equity derivatives, using autonomous AI-powered systems to manage the trading workflow from price discovery through to execution. Fenics AI, BGC’s new proprietary AI trading technology, arranged this landmark transaction on September 3, 2026, in Eurex listed Swiss SMI options between two institutional accounts, including Hudson Bay Capital. This successful first AI trade follows rigorous development and testing to ensure compatibility with applicable market conventions, rules and governance. Fenics AI is expected to be made available to BGC’s clients during the fourth quarter 2026 to deliver significant effi
Coulson Aviation Defines the Next Chapter of Innovation With EmberWorks10.9.2026 14:03:00 CEST | Press release
Dedicated division connects operational experience with the development and testing of new wildfire and emergency-response technologies. Coulson Aviation is moving forward with EmberWorks, its dedicated innovation division created to turn real-world operational challenges into new capabilities for aerial firefighting, aviation, and emergency response. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260910644135/en/ Comparison imagery demonstrates how ORBIT uses airborne thermal sensing and automated processing to identify wildfire activity and generate geolocated fire intelligence. First introduced at the Aerial Fire Fighting Global Conference in Rome earlier this year, EmberWorks formalizes an approach to innovation that has existed throughout Coulson’s history. From aircraft modification and mission-system development to programs such as C-130 airtanker, Boeing 737 Fireliner, and CH-47 Chinook helicopter, Coulson has long d
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