Ant International, a digital payment and financial technology provider affiliated with Ant Group, has announced that it will establish a new Digital Business Centre in Malaysia. The Digital Business Centre will be located at The Exchange 106 in Tun Razak Exchange (TRX). Ant International is expected to move in by 2025 and it will create more than 500 new job opportunities in the first year with more hirings in the subsequent years until 2028.
Ant International to create over 500 jobs in Malaysia
According to Ant International, the majority of roles will be tech-focused, aligning with the company’s vision in using tech and innovation to accelerate global commerce and inclusion. The biggest team will be the Technology and Development department, comprising a range of software development engineers, followed by Product & Design team, and Data Science and Risk Control team. The fintech company says it will commit dedicated resources to develop and nurture these tech talents through comprehensive training, mentorship and exposure to its global businesses.
Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) CEO Ts. Mahadhir Aziz said, “The opening of the new Digital Business Centre in Malaysia by Ant International is truly commended as such an initiative plays an important role for the local tech talents to thrive in its
global businesses in the digital industry. This will create more jobs, and investment opportunities and thus, position Malaysia as the digital hub of ASEAN. This is a testament to their commitment to choosing Malaysia as a preferred country in the mission to propel the digital economy. Congratulations to Ant International for this remarkable achievement and they have our continuous support.”
Ant International has been present in Malaysia since 2014 and has since collaborated with local partners in promoting a vibrant fintech community.
Ant International President Douglas Feagin said, “We’re excited to begin the next chapter of our journey in Malaysia, having contributed to the local fintech industry over the last 10 years, and now look towards the future, one that is more global, more connected, more inclusive and with more exciting ways of doing business.”
“Tech and innovation are at the heart of Ant International, and with the Malaysian government promoting tech skills development and positioning Malaysia as an innovation hub, we believe that together with partners like MDEC, we can harness local tech talents to significantly accelerate the impact that our businesses can make, locally and around the world,” he added.
Ant International says they will further collaborate with local partners in development tech talent in Malaysia through various programs including 10×1000, an open and global learning community to nurture and inspire tech talents and gitial leaders. They shared that through the support of partners like MDEC, TNG Digital and Fintech Association of Malaysia, over 120 fintech leaders have completed the program, of which more than one-third are women.
Feagin said, “Those who join our team will have a front row seat to global fintech innovation and collaborations, and play a part in our mission to shape the future of fintech and commerce, where every person and every business can thrive. With a focus on supporting the development and growth opportunities of our employees, we not only strengthen our teams but also to contribute to the growth and advancement of the fintech industry in Malaysia.”
Ant International enables seamless cross-border payments via Alipay+
Ant International which traces its roots back to Alipay since 2004 is one of the world’s leading open internet platforms. Its main business is Alipay+ which is a cross-border mobile payment platform which connects over 88 million merchants to 1.5 billion consumer accounts on over 25 eWallets and banking apps in 57 countries and regions. Alipay+ is integrated with Malaysia’s national QR, DuitNow QR.
Alipay+ is the international network which enables Touch ‘n Go eWallet users to make cross-border QR payments worldwide including mainland China and Japan.
The fintech company has also recently formed a strategic partnership with Capital A across its entire business ecosystem including AirAsia, AirAsia Move and BigPay to promote inclusive and sustainable impact to address global challenges including advancing digital inclusion, cultivating digital talent and promoting a sustainable travel program. It added that AirAsia Move will work with Ant International to integrate Alipay+ eWallets as a payment option within Move’s payment flows while BigPay will become the latest payment partner of Alipay+.
Since its integration with PayNet’s DuitNow QR, Ant International says it has brought more customers to local merchants, helping them to benefit from tourism growth. It shared that transaction volume and spending by users of Alipay+ payment partner apps at DuitNow QR merchants increased 2.5 times during the Chinese New Year 2024 period.
Ant International also has Antom Merchant Payment Services which helps global merchants to engage digitally with consumers in Asia and beyond. There’s also WorldFirst, a digital payment and financial service for cross-border trade SMEs. It currently has served over 1 million SMEs to grow internationally with its World Account with plans to serve Malaysian SMEs by 2024.
Ant International has also ANEXT Bank, a digital wholesale bank in Singapore regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore which focuses on enabling financial services to SMEs.
