TerraPay has connected its Xend wallet interoperability network to Alipay+, enabling cross-border QR payments for digital wallet users. The partnership is aimed at extending frictionless cross-border payment functionality for digital wallet holders travelling or transacting outside their home markets, particularly across Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa.
From A2A to in-store acceptance
In the initial phase of the rollout, 15 digital wallets across Africa connected to Xend will allow their users to pay at more than 150 million merchants within Alipay+’s global merchant network. For TerraPay, the integration marks an expansion of its cross-border payment capabilities beyond A2A transfers into in-store, point-of-sale acceptance.
Through the connection, wallet users will be able to scan a QR code to pay directly at merchants accepting Alipay+, using the same wallet application they already use domestically, instead of relying on cash, currency exchange services, or card-based alternatives when transacting abroad.
Ambar Sur, Founder and CEO of TerraPay, said that Xend is to allow a wallet issued in one country to function as it would at home when used elsewhere. Sur is describing the Alipay+ partnership as a step toward making cross-border wallet payments comparable to domestic transactions.
Addressing a gap in wallet interoperability
Digital wallet providers have typically built substantial domestic user bases and payment rail infrastructure, but cross-border functionality has remained limited, restricting wallet use for international travel and commerce.
Xend addresses this gap by connecting wallet providers to Alipay+’s network through a single integration. Alipay+ connects more than 50 international payment partners to over 150 million merchants across 220 destination markets, including through more than ten national payment systems.
