Tag: Digital payments

India – As digital scams targeting everyday Indians become increasingly common, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and The Times of India have joined forces to bring back R.K. Laxman’s iconic ‘Common Man.’ The beloved character takes centre stage in a new awareness campaign aimed at combating phishing and fraud schemes.

The ‘Common Man,’ an iconic figure in Indian culture, has long resonated with audiences through his witty observations and relatable predicaments. He embodies the spirit of the everyday Indian—quietly resilient, unassuming, yet perceptive and sharp when it matters most.

With this vision, NPCI and The Times of India brought the ‘Common Man’ back in a ‘Conman Vs. Common Man’ avatar to tackle the rising concerns around digital payment safety—delivering the message with his signature wit and a refreshingly non-preachy approach.

Developed by NPCI’s creative partner, tgthr., the campaign brings back the original comic strip format, humorously showcasing the Common Man outsmarting conmen attempting the latest scams. From investment frauds to phishing schemes, the Common Man’s unassuming yet sharp persona serves as a powerful tool to promote digital payment safety.

‘Conman Vs. Common Man’ goes beyond awareness, empowering Indians to embrace UPI’s ease and safety while promoting vigilance. By leveraging the iconic Common Man, the campaign inspires trust and encourages users to safeguard their digital transactions, aiming for a cashless, secure India.

Aalap Desai, co-founder and CCO of tgthr., shared, “A smarter strain of crime calls for a smarter kind of criminal. Scammers today are ever-evolving and highly tech-savvy, using social engineering to scam people out of their life savings.”

Desai further explained, “With NPCI, we realised that the reason for this evolution is that awareness drastically reduces the success rate of these scams. It might sound like a cliché, but the answer was in the brief itself. The need of the time is a widely popular character, recognised by the whole country, with wit that remained unchanged in an ever-changing world, so even a layman can laugh and learn at the same time. Reminds you of someone? ”

Meanwhile, Sameer Sainani, president of Optimal Media Solutions, said, “Our iconic ‘Common Man’ has been a witness to every event that has defined India. Digital payments, a defining moment in our nation’s tech prowess, have seen widespread adoption, notwithstanding emerging challenges. tgthr. has successfully captured the essence of this beloved character for NPCI’s digital safety initiative.”

“By utilising the ‘Common Man’s’ signature wit and innocent humour to address the growing concern of digital duping, it shows a powerful problem-solving approach. This has resonated with today’s India, making it a potent tool in combating scams,” Sainani added. 

NPCI and The Times of India’s campaign comes at a time when the rise of digital payments has fuelled increasingly sophisticated scams, from phishing to fake payment links, targeting unsuspecting users daily.

Ramesh Yadav, chief of marketing at NPCI, said, “We’re excited to partner with The Times of India and the Common Man to promote digital payment safety. As digital transactions become more widespread, it’s crucial to understand how to use them securely. This campaign educates everyone on avoiding scams through an engaging narrative. By reintroducing the Common Man, we emphasise the timeless values of caution and insight, helping everyone navigate the digital world safely.”

The Common Man comic strip will be featured in Hindi, English, Kannada, and Marathi across various newspapers.

Singapore – Singapore’s younger generations of consumers are leading the shift to digital payments while more than half of small businesses in the country do not currently provide cash payment options. This is according to the latest report from global small business platform Xero.

The survey findings reveal a growing trend towards digital payments in Singapore, driven by strong government support and initiatives aimed at building a digitally connected society.

Currently, over three-quarters of Singapore consumers (76%) use credit or debit cards for payments. More than half of the population utilises funds transfer service PayNow (55%) or bank transfers (55%). About a fifth are also using e-wallet service GrabPay (22%) and buy now, pay later platforms (21%).

Reflecting changing perspectives, the research showed that 30% of Singapore consumers only carry their mobile phones to pay when shopping, notably higher than the global average of 21%.

Younger generations are leading the way, quickly embracing new digital payment methods. PayNow is the preferred digital payment method for 68% of Gen Z consumers in Singapore, with about a third (29%) also using GrabPay.

Moreover, the findings also highlight that failing to meet consumer payment preferences can directly impact customer retention and revenue. Approximately 18% of Singapore consumers indicated they would visit another business that accepts more payment options if a business didn’t offer at least one of their preferred payment methods.

Despite trends indicating a shift towards a cashless society, physical currency remains a preferred payment method for a significant portion of Singapore’s population. Nearly eight in ten (79%) Singapore consumers use it for transactions, highlighting its prevalence in everyday life. 

However, half (51%) of local small businesses no longer offer it as a payment option, making small businesses in Singapore the least likely among the countries surveyed to accept cash payments, despite having the highest proportion of consumers who opt for this traditional method.

The findings also suggest that nearly nine in ten (87%) small businesses in Singapore say they have benefited from adopting new payment methods in the last 6 to 12 months, with key reported advantages including reduced time to be paid (43%), retaining more business (42%), and increased sales (41%).

Many small businesses in Singapore are optimistic about future or emerging payment methods. These include biometric authentication methods such as fingerprints or facial scanning (36%), bartering marketplaces/apps (33%) and augmented reality (33%). About a third (31%) have expressed excitement about implantable payment chips, a much higher figure than small businesses in countries like Australia (7%) and New Zealand (9%) included in the research.

Koren Wines, managing director for Asia at Xero said, “Singapore is at the forefront of building a robust digital payment landscape, aligning with its broader digital economy and Smart Nation goals. While a supportive regulatory environment and complementary initiatives are driving digital payment development and adoption among Singapore’s small businesses and consumers, targeted support to help small businesses adopt more payment options will also be crucial.”

Meanwhile, Bharathi Ramavarjula, SVP of payments at Xero, commented, “Understanding how different consumers prefer to pay and giving them the flexibility to pay the way they want, will help small businesses get paid faster and grow their revenue. To make it easier to collect payments, Xero is providing small businesses with more ways to get paid.”

Singapore – The payment solutions provider Network for Electronic Transfers (NETS) has collaborated with the creative firm DDB Group Singapore to promote a faster, simpler, and more convenient method of payment. The agency is using a fortune cat to educate debit cardholders in Singapore’s heartlands about a more convenient payment option at partner retailers around the country: using ATM or debit cards to pay with NETS.

A series of 15-second videos featuring NETS merchant categories—such as local restaurants, hair salons, and grocery stores—are the focal point of the social media-first campaign. The movies depict the exploits of NETS Tappy Cat, who uses an ATM or debit card to tap its way to faster and simpler fulfilment, emulating the famous wave of the fortune cat.

Selected partner merchants will receive over 10,000 NETS Tappy Cats and point-of-sale collateral as part of the campaign activation. The campaign will also feature digital advertisements and out-of-home digital placements starting on July 11. 

According to a recent Global Data report, Singapore’s cards and payments market is expected to be valued US$107.3 billion by 2023, with cards emerging as the preferred electronic payment method. In recent years, contactless card payments have become increasingly popular. 

Despite the rise in contactless payments made through NETS, some customers continue to use the conventional slot and pin method. Taking advantage of the growing acceptance of contactless card payments and the widespread presence of fortune cats, the campaign aims to establish and preserve connections with NETS. 

Speaking about the campaign, Vinod Savio, chief creative officer at DDB Group Singapore, said, “The best ideas tap into cultural observations, transforming familiar stories and experiences into something new and captivating. When the team decided to transform fortune cats into NETS Tappy Cats, we knew we had struck on an idea that had the power to move people.”

Meanwhile, Pamela Tan, group chief marketing officer at NETS, commented, “With this campaign, DDB managed to leverage culture to create a connection with merchants and customers. The campaign offers a refreshing approach to get everyone to sit up and pay attention to how easy it is to pay contactless and securely with NETS. We’ll never look at fortune cats the same way again!”

Philippines – In 2023, real-time payment transactions in the Philippines experienced a 24% year-on-year (YoY) growth, with transaction volumes reaching 777 million, according to a report by ACI Worldwide.

The report also projects that the volume will soar to 1.54 billion by 2028. The real-time payments’ share of all digital payments in the country is projected to grow to 58.7% by 2028, while its transaction value is expected to reach USD 209.6 billion in the same year. 

As of 2023, real-time payments accounted for 47.2% of all Philippine digital payments, with a transaction value of USD 89.5 billion.

The surge in digital payments, including real-time transactions, in the Philippines accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting a shift towards a cashless economy. The report highlights that this shift is driven by growing consumer demand for simpler, faster, and more secure transactions, with Filipino consumers citing these as the primary reasons for adopting digital payment tools.

ACI Worldwide’s report also identified a strong correlation between the growth of real-time payments and mobile wallet adoption. The Philippines ranks fifth globally in mobile wallet adoption, with 88% of Filipinos using a mobile wallet in the past year. The report further revealed that QR codes, mobile wallets, and bank accounts are the primary authorization methods used by Filipino consumers to initiate real-time payments.

Meanwhile, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) plans to join the Regional Payment Connectivity initiative, linking ASEAN countries under a single QR code system. This move, aimed at enabling real-time cross-border payments, is part of the central bank’s broader strategy to promote financial inclusivity and digital payments, potentially reducing remittance costs and boosting the economy.

Leslie Choo, senior vice president and managing director for APAC at ACI Worldwide, commented, “Real-time payments hold the potential to facilitate greater economic growth and financial inclusion in the Philippines by eliminating payment friction and injecting greater liquidity in the financial system. As Filipinos continue to embrace digitization, we encourage the local banks and financial institutions to harness technological innovations that will enable them to fully leverage the capabilities of real-time transactions.” 

“Real-time payments are now a real-world reality, and banks have the opportunity to innovate where real-time payments sit in the customer journey and the end-to-end payments landscape to provide a differentiated experience. At ACI Worldwide, we want to collaborate with banks, merchants, and billers in the Philippines and around the world to enable them to tap into emerging use cases of real-time payments through payment modernization and transformation,” Choo added. 

Thailand – Alipay+, the cross-border mobile payments and marketing network run by Ant International, unveils that all 14,500 7-Eleven locations in Thailand are now set up to take digital payments from extra visitors via 13 payment applications, with 9 additional international e-wallets. 

This initiative fits in with their ongoing digitization efforts to meet the growing needs of travellers, particularly as they prepare for the busiest travel period around Chinese New Year. Counter Service connects Alipay+ to the 7-Eleven retail network, enabling the integration. 

The e-wallets that have recently been integrated are MyPB from Public Bank Berhad in Malaysia, GCash from the Philippines, Hipay from Mongolia, MPay from Macao SAR, China, Naver Pay and Toss Pay from South Korea, Changi Pay and OCBC Digital from Singapore, and Tinaba from Italy. 

Thailand has been accepting Chinese mainland Alipay since 2015. Further supported payment methods since 2023 are AlipayHK from Hong Kong SAR, China, Kakao Pay from South Korea, and Touch ‘n Go eWallet from Malaysia. 

Alipay+ continues to broaden its merchant network in Thailand, adding retail, leisure, and travel businesses to its network. This covers every mall run by The Mall Group and Central Retail Corporation in addition to local brands like King Power and Jim Thompson. 

Weeradej Ackapolpanich, managing director at Counter Service Company Limited, said, “Counter Service, the world-class reliable, trustful, and innovative payment system, has strengthened and increased digital payment channels for 7-Eleven stores nationwide and provide daily conveniences, which includes financial service, insurance, sports and concert ticket, travel and tourism, etc. With a significant rise of travel demand, we aim to accommodate, connect, and cater to tourists from all over the world with cashless trend and convenience services.” 

Meanwhile, Sittipong Kittiprapapong, general manager, Global Merchant Partnership, Thailand, Ant International, stated, “Thailand is one of the most popular travel destinations globally and we’re excited to do more to support the digitalization of the vibrant tourism sector locally. By working closely with local merchants and partners like the Tourism Authority of Thailand, we’re attracting more Chinese and Asian tourists to Thailand, creating a more convenient and worry-free experience for travellers, and helping more businesses benefit from tourism growth.” 

Philippines – Alipay+, Ant International’s cross-border mobile payment digital platform, has announced a year-end program targeted at promoting sustainable cross-border travel. The promotion offers a variety of rewards supplied by global partners to users of five popular e-wallets in Asia.

These wallets are Touch ‘n Go eWallet by TNG Digital (in Malaysia), GCash (in the Philippines), TrueMoney (in Thailand), Alipay (on the Chinese mainland), and AlipayHK (in Hong Kong SAR, China). 

The campaign, which will run until December 31, will initially target Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. Travellers in these countries will be treated to a choice of exclusive offers handpicked by global industry such as ComfortDelGro Taxi, Daimaru Matsuzakaya, Galaxy Macau, King Power, and Lotte Duty Free. 

Furthermore, the campaign includes local small and micro-sized firms (SMEs), such as Durian BB in Malaysia and IJOOZ in Singapore, resulting in a wide and inclusive variety for travellers to enjoy.

The campaign promotes sustainable travel behaviour by highlighting special deals from Alipay+ and its partners. These benefits include free international mobile data packages, in-app savings available across Alipay+’s vast merchant network, and the opportunity to receive 100% rebates at participating partner locations.

Reward points are awarded to travellers who choose to utilise digital payments rather than cash, take public transit rather than drive themselves, pack their own toothbrushes rather than use disposable ones, and visit a wider variety of local attractions. These methods aid in maintaining regional cultures.

Alipay+ will collaborate with the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) to monitor the campaign’s ESG impact. An advisory panel consisting of professionals from Tsinghua University, Hong Kong University, the University of Geneva, and Northwestern University will collaborate to evaluate various topics. These include the impact on local enterprises, culture, and communities, as well as the impact on best practices within the business ecosystem.

Speaking about the campaign, Dr. Cherry Huang, general manager of Alipay+ offline merchant services, Ant International, said, “Our year-end campaign is not just about travel; it’s about making a positive impact. By collaborating with partners who share our commitment to sustainability, we are offering travellers the chance to explore the world responsibly.”

Philippines – The Philippines-based Asia United Bank (AUB), a publicly traded universal bank, is stepping up its efforts to help more local merchants accept cross-border digital payments from Malaysia, South Korea, and Hong Kong SAR. It does this by utilising AUB PayMate and Alipay+.

Tourists can now use their home country’s e-wallets to pay for a variety of purchases connected to tourism, retail, food and beverage (F&B), entertainment, and attractions within the Philippines as the market grows. This includes Alipay (Chinese mainland), Kakao Pay (South Korea), Touch ‘n Go eWallet (Malaysia), and AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR), in addition to Alipay (Chinese mainland), which Filipino retailers have been accepting since 2017.

At the moment, AUB PayMate has made it possible for more than 5,000 businesses in Manila and Cebu, two travel destinations in the Philippines, to accept Alipay+. As AUB’s all-inclusive digital payment acceptance solution, AUB PayMate enables merchants of all kinds to accept digital payments from their customers, including local and international e-wallets, bank transfers, and card payments.

SSP Mactan, a company that manages restaurants and bars at tourist hotspots around the world, is one of the first organizations in the Philippines to accept Alipay+. One of the busiest travel hubs in the nation, Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA), has adopted it in all of its businesses there. Visitors arriving at MCIA from mid-September to mid-November will be greeted warmly by AUB, SSP Mactan Cebu, and Alipay+, providing them with a more convenient payment experience and special deals at Alipay+-enabled vendors inside the airport.

Mags V. Surtida, senior vice president and cards & acquiring group head of AUB, said, “We see a resurgence of inbound personal travels this year so our partnership with Alipay+, the first in the Philippine banking industry, will give a much-needed boost to merchants serving the tourism sector. Expect more foreign wallets to be added under this unified QR code.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Cherry Huang, general manager of Alipay+ offline merchant services at Ant Group, said, “We are strengthening our partnership with AUB, our pioneering bank partner in the Philippines, to enhance the travel experience for tourists as they return to visit. Digital payments have become more important than ever, particularly for international visitors who have become so used to using their e-wallets and bank apps for day-to-day purchases.”

She added, “Through our local partners, we aim to help more businesses integrate Alipay+, creating a positive digital ecosystem, driving more opportunities for partners, and merchants, while making it more convenient and seamless for travellers.”

Singapore – Fintech and e-commerce ecosystem Society Pass, has announced a strategic payments partnership with Singaporean global full-suite payments platform 2C2P to enhance the e-commerce experience in SEA. 

Through this partnership, Society Pass’s loyalty application would be able to offer 2C2P’s selection of alternative payment options to customers based in the Philippines and Indonesia.

Rokas Sidlauskas, chief marketing officer of Society Pass, shared their excitement to announce the partnership with 2C2P as it enables them to offer more flexible and convenient methods to pay for goods and services within their ecosystem. 

“By integrating leading Southeast Asia digital e-wallets such as AliPay, Touch n’ Go, Momo or GCash just to name a few into our ecosystem, Society Pass enables millions of customers to access our platforms, ranging from travel, to e-commerce, to telecoms, and to digital advertising. This is especially important considering that we operate in Southeast Asian markets, where unfortunately, over 75% of people are unbanked and do not possess debit or credit cards,” he added. 

Meanwhile, Rachelle Alexis Lim, executive director of 2C2P, said, “As we embark on this strategic partnership with Society Pass, we look forward to enhancing the payments experience of SOPA’s consumers across SEA. This collaboration with SoPa aligns perfectly with our mission to drive e-commerce growth in the region and globally, revolutionising how people transact and unlocking the potential of the digital economy for all.”

Singapore – To strengthen payments and digital marketing throughout DFS’ broad network of brick-and-mortar and online retailers, DFS Group and Ant Group have partnered together in a global partnership. Because of Alipay+ it would enable DFS to provide its clients with an inclusive digital experience as it recognizes the trend of consumers adopting digital lives.

In this partnership, DFS and Ant will collaborate to deploy marketing cooperation, thereby increasing DFS’s visibility directly within Alipay and Alipay+ partner wallets’ apps. This collaboration aims to offer more targeted, personalised, and relevant rewards to shoppers, including exclusive offers, to enhance their shopping experience.

By integrating Alipay+ as a payment option, DFS enables cross-border payment acceptance from mobile wallets, making it convenient for travellers from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong SAR, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand to use their home mobile wallets for payments. 

Speaking about the partnership, Long Chiu, executive vice president, global marketing and digital ventures of DFS Group, said, “This alliance with Ant Group is not just about numbers and statistics, it’s about creating a seamless and exceptional experience for travellers and shoppers. Our commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction will be elevated to new heights through this collaboration.”

He added, “With Ant’s expertise and our passion for innovation and providing unforgettable services, there is no doubt that we will achieve remarkable success together.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Cherry Huang, general manager of Alipay+ offline merchant services, Ant Group, expressed, “We are excited to strengthen our partnership with DFS, evolving to now incorporating more mobile wallets, marketing capabilities and D-Store online-offline integration via Alipay+.” 

She added, “DFS is a favourite retail destination amongst tourist right at the beginning and end of their trip, and we believe this partnership will sweeten travellers’ experience. As travel resumes, we aim to help more brands cater to these new digital-first habits and drive continued visibility and growth for them.”

Singapore – Financial technology giant Ant Group officially launched its Alipay+ D-store solution last November 3 at the Singapore FinTech Festival 2022. The solution intends to support the service industry and brick-and-mortar businesses to boost efficiency by digitalizing their operations.

Alipay+ D-store allows businesses to build digital stores across various digital platforms in a fast, scalable, and cost-efficient way. It will also give businesses a suite of toolkits to digitalize merchants’ payments, operations, services, and marketing efforts. 

The solution also gives its partners the ability to build digital stores on digital platforms in the form of mini programmes. These digital stores could also be developed as H5 pages and can be easily embedded in social media and online platforms to reach consumers.

Partner platforms of Alipay+ D-store include Chope, Alipay, Touch ‘n Go eWallet, and AlipayHK, among others. Food and beverage industry companies such as Burger King, Koufu, and more than 2,000 brands in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong SAR, China, and other markets have already adopted Alipay+ D-store in their operations.

“We welcome more digital platforms to collaborate to accelerate the digitalization of the global service industry together,” said Dr. Cherry Huang, global head of Alipay+ D-store.

She added, “Leveraging digital solutions is critical for the service industries to boost operational efficiency and adapt to the fast-changing market conditions. The Alipay+ D-store solution is developed with the goal to make it easier for brick-and-mortar businesses to go digital at scale, so that businesses can better serve and engage digital-savvy consumers by providing a seamless omni-channel experience.”

Moreover, Ant Group also announced that Alipay+ merchant coverage has more than doubled to over 2.5 million. 

Angel Zhao, president of international business of Ant Group, also revealed that Alipay+ rewards, the digital marketing platform developed by Alipay+, are already adopted by mobile payment apps such as GCash (Philippines), DANA (Indonesia), Kakao Pay (South Korea), Touch ‘n Go eWallet (Malaysia), TrueMoney (Thailand), and AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR, China) to help global brands better engage with consumers worldwide through digital coupons and exclusive deals.

Ant Group has previously expanded its partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board, which aimed to promote tourism in Singapore through a series of digital and marketing campaigns for the next two years.