Asia

A group of tourists visiting Finland from China recently concluded a completely cashless trip sponsored by Alipay, which is claiming Finland is the first country where Chinese visitors can manage and pay for all aspects of travel solely using its mobile wallet.

The bank's commitment in the last couple of years to an "agile" environment of rapid testing and learning produced answers within a couple of months.

The South Asian nation’s income tax officials had started investigations into transactions at various illegal bitcoin exchanges in December, soon after the country’s central bank cautioned users about potential risks.

While there's lots of fintech innovation globally, some of the most exciting moves are coming from China, Japan and South Korea, writes John Mitchell, CEO of Episode Six.

Starbucks has for some time been the poster child of mobile payments acceptance in the U.S., but even this success may be tapering off.

The rapid development of the Indian mobile wallet market demonstrates the importance of reactivity and adaptability. Huge opportunities await those who can successfully navigate the transformative impact of regulation, emerging technologies and shifting consumer expectations, writes Elina Mattila, executive director of the Mobey Forum.

Alipay and WeChat have become so common in China that many tourists are finding it difficult to pay for goods and services without the apps, writes Mike Ward, CRO and CEO of North America for WorldFirst.

China's WeChat Pay mobile wallet has secured a partnership to launch the app in Italy next month, making it easier for Chinese consumers in that country to make online or in-store purchases with their smartphones.

Shanghai’s mass-transit system this week will begin accepting QR code payments through an app connected to a digital wallet, following a successful pilot.

Ride-hailing and mobile payments company Grab has acquired iKaaz, a Bangalore, India-based payments technology startup, to power its growth in the Southeast Asia region.