Alipay, the payment affiliate of Alibaba, is reportedly reaping the rewards of its partnership with Motion Pay Technology, the payment company in Canada.
According to a report in Mobile Payments Today, as a result of the deal, Motion Pay Technology enables Alipay as an in-store payment method for a large number of merchants across the country. According to comments from Alipay, the Chinese digital payment service is now accepted in all of the major Canadian cities and across various retail categories, including restaurants, hospitality, retail and luxury verticals.
“We are thrilled with the success of our partnership with Motion Pay to date, which has played an instrumental role in our growth across Canada this past year,” Souheil Badran, president of Alipay, Americas, said in a press release. “As our first Canadian partner, Motion Pay has helped us to reach critical mass in acceptance points across Canada. We look forward to continuing our relationship, and enabling even more Canadian brands and retailers to connect with the growing number of Chinese consumers seeking items they can’t find at home, and simplifying payments by offering Alipay’s familiar method.”
With Chinese consumers spending money traveling around the world, Alipay has been in expansion mode, aiming to follow the customers wherever they shop. To achieve that, it has been forging partnerships with merchants and vendors around the globe.
In one high-profile partnership, the company recently announced that more than 1,000 Starbucks locations across South Korea will now accept Alipay. With the deal, Alipay becomes the first third-party mobile payment method available in Starbucks locations throughout South Korea.
“Starbucks branches are among the most visited places by Chinese travelers in South Korea,” said Danny Chung, general manager of Alipay South Korea. “We will continue to introduce Alipay to more local merchants, including restaurants and shops, to make Chinese travelers’ journey[s] as convenient as at home.”