Chris Skinner was invited to join Alibaba’s annual Netrepeneurs conference in Hangzhou, China, for star sellers on Alibaba’s Taobao platform. He reports on Ant Financial, the Alibaba spin-off that operates mobile payments app Alipay.
Latest articles from Payments
Guy Debelle: why the FX Global Code matters
September 1, 2017The FX Global Code was launched in May 2017 to restore market trust and encourage a well-functioning wholesale foreign exchange market. Now is the time for market participants to sign up to the code and embed best practice in their daily activities, writes the deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia.
Connecting Indonesia: bringing finance to a population of 250 million
April 3, 2017The fourth most populous country in the world spread across more than 6000 islands, banks have struggled to reach out beyond Indonesia's big cities up to now. However, a digital transformation is gripping the country, bringing with it the promise of huge increase in financial inclusion. Stefania Palma reports.
Will central bank reforms kick-start Myanmar’s payments revolution?
March 1, 2017Myanmar’s central bank has opened up the local market to international payment companies such as Visa and MasterCard. But how will they help modernise the payments sector and drive financial inclusion in this newly opened frontier market? Stefania Palma investigates.
A brave new world of mobile money
October 1, 2016While mobile money usage has been gradually ramping up over the years, interoperability, alongside cheap and ubiquitous smartphones, has the potential to kick it up a gear. Joy Macknight reports.
Are e-payments about to take off in Latin America?
September 1, 2016A mismatch of networks and uneven regulation makes Latin America a frustrating market for digital payments providers, drawn to its huge population and growing mobile penetration. But with great challenges come rich opportunities, writes Silvia Pavoni.
Cross-border payments reach modernisation phase
July 1, 2016The move to real-time payment systems is gaining momentum across the globe and raises the prospect of instant cross-border payments. New players are also helping to redefine the payments ecosystem, as Joy Macknight reports.
Swift dips into China with CIPS
July 1, 2016Financial messaging provider Swift’s memorandum of understanding with China’s Cross-border Inter-Bank Payment System could greatly facilitate cross-border renminbi payments, as Stefania Palma discovers.
Great expectations for wholesale payments
July 1, 2016The retail payments space has witnessed a great deal of innovation over the past few years. To date, this has not been matched on the wholesale side. Christian Westerhaus, global head of product and strategy, institutional cash management, at Deutsche Bank looks at how developments on the domestic retail side are influencing client expectations in wholesale payments and assesses the steps the industry is taking to enhance the cross-border payments experience.
Voice recognition: what your bank needs?
May 2, 2016Banks are trumpeting their use of voice recognition technology in a way not seen before, using it to demonstrate their innovation credentials and customer centricity. Joy Macknight looks at the ways in which it is being utilised.