Alipay+ powers Pakistani fintech firm's global QR payments

NayaPay has launched global QR payments for its users through a partnership with Alipay+, the cross-border wallet service from Ant International.

The Pakistan-based fintech now allows users to scan and pay at Alipay+ merchants in over 50 countries.

This expands NayaPay’s earlier integration with Alipay+, which began in early 2024 with direct QR payments in China.

Alipay+ connects more than 40 international mobile payment partners to over 150 million merchants worldwide.

NayaPay provides digital wallets and payment services to consumers and businesses in Pakistan.

The new feature aims to make payments abroad more seamless for Pakistani users by enabling QR code payments at a wider range of international merchants.

🔗 Source: Ant International

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Pakistan’s cross-border payment rules may limit NayaPay’s global QR ambitions

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) set a USD 30,000 yearly cap per person on card cross-border transactions in 2022. It told Authorized Dealers (ADs, banks authorized by SBP to handle foreign exchange) to verify personal use and block commercial activity 1.
A June 2023 e-money institution (EMI) update widened EMI scope to include cross-border payments 2. Public summaries omit caps, fee rules, or whether Pakistani freelancers sending $400 million a year can use wallets for business abroad.
If NayaPay lacks SBP approval for cross-border wallet payments, the over 50 countries line may mean merchant acceptance rather than open access. Pakistani users could see blocks if card-style limits hit e-wallets.

Travel and payment service providers can capture spend from Pakistani travelers

Inbound tourism revenue was USD 765 million in 2020 and could reach about $3.3 billion by 2028 3 4. The figures cover inbound spend, with outbound data absent here. Rising travel demand creates openings in destinations.
Nearly 3 million Pakistani freelancers may reach 5 million by 2025, with $400 million in annual export remittances 2. Travel-tech platforms and coworking spaces in digital nomad hubs can enable wallet payments in destinations popular with Pakistani business travelers.
Payment infrastructure firms can partner with Pakistan’s four operational EMIs and six licensing-stage institutions as of March 2023 2 to build cross-border rails (the underlying payment connections that move money between countries). Early movers that win Pakistani wallet users gain an edge as digital payments mature.