As if the mobile payments space isn’t crowded as it is, one of China’s largest mobile payment services has announced that it’s moving into the United States as well. Alipay has signed a deal with First Data which will allow users to pay for services and products at more than four million retailers across the globe using AirPay. It’s going to be the first service supported by companies that are using First Data’s Clover products.
Alipay is a major online payments player in China. It accounts for a 90 percent of the Chinese mobile payment market along with WeChat pay. This new partnership with First Data will make it more easy for the over four million Chinese visitors that travel to the United States every year to pay at stores across the globe
Alipay works with American Express, MasterCard, and Visa cards. As of now, it’s supported by more than 100,000 retailers in over 70 markets across the globe. That’s in addition to China and the United States.
It was inevitable for Alipay to set its sights on the United States. Now that it has, it will be interesting to see what steps Alipay takes in the coming years to establish itself as a recognized player in the mobile payments market.
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