Ant International depicts support almost 100 million MSMEs following launch of latest global campaign

Singapore – To celebrate the Global International MSME Day for 2024, digital payment and financial services provider Ant International has shared its support towards almost 100 million Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) worldwide through its businesses and programs as well as its global campaign.

Through these efforts, Ant International reinforces its commitments towards MSME digitalisation and inclusion through the expansion of its services as well as new programs for skills development with industry partners.

In its ‘Embrace the power of small” campaign, Ant International features three business owners and their journeys of digitalisation namely, Cholthicha Joyyangsuk (Numwan) from Thailand who sells desserts on her tuktuk, Lem Cheong from The Hainan Story, Singapore who was inspired by his grandma’s rich heritage and flavourful recipes, and Lewis Ames from Wrimes Cosmetics, UK who started with neon face paint and pivoting to pet care during the pandemic.

These stories then will be featured on out-of-home billboards, starting in Europe, in time for the UEFA EURO 2024, of which Ant International is the Official Payment Partner, and rolled out to other global markets, and also on TV and social media.

In terms of Ant International’s other efforts, Alipay+, the cross-border mobile payments and marketing solutions operated by Ant International, announced an expansion of its global acceptance. As of June 2024, Alipay+ is accepted by over 90 million merchants in over 66 markets, enabling many small businesses to efficiently connect with global mobile-first consumers.

This initiative from Alipay+ is then supplemented further by digital payment solutions providers Antom and Worldfirst, empowering more SMEs with international payment solutions.

Additionally, ANEXT Bank, a digital wholesale bank incorporated in Singapore, recently celebrated its second anniversary, with two times year-on-year increase in its customer base, of which 69% are micro businesses. To further support regional MSMEs, the bank has introduced its second batch of ‘SME Friends of ANEXT’ with forward-thinking small and growing businesses to co-create the “digital bank of tomorrow”.

In Indonesia, Ant International and DANA will launch the second edition of ‘SisBerdaya’, an initiative that provides female micro entrepreneurs training, mentoring, and educational programs in business management and digital skills. Started in 2023, the first edition drew more than 2700 applicants, with 180 participants undergoing a one-month training, and grants awarded to 30 entrepreneurs.

Lastly, in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation, ‘10×1000 Tech for Inclusion’ is an open learning platform to help future digital leaders develop more skills to drive greater impact within their communities. As of 2023, with the support of 40+ global strategic partners, more than 6,000 individual talents from 100+ countries and regions completed the 10×1000 learning programs, of which 90% are from developing markets and 60% work in MSMEs.

Talking about these initiatives, Douglas Feagin, president of Ant International, said, At Ant International, we firmly believe in the power of small and that small businesses can make a big impact. Fintech innovations today unlock new possibilities for small businesses to dream boldly and compete globally.”

“Together with our partners, we want to ensure that every business and every person will have access to the knowledge, network, and digital tools to help them achieve their goals,” he added.