Axepta, SIA partner to deliver WeChat Pay to Italy

Italian payments provider Axepta-BNL Group is launching the WeChat Pay service to its clients, saying it is the first in the country to offer the popular Chinese mobile payment and social networking app.

Behind technology provided through infrastructure partner SIA, Axepta merchants will be able to accept payments made through the WeChat App. The payment method will operate through QR codes, as it does in other countries, and allow Italian merchants to serve Chinese tourists.

"Our goal is to introduce new innovative services to allow merchants to expand their business by offering customers the best payment experience," Stefano Calderano, CEO of Axepta, said in a Tuesday press release.

The terminals available to accept WeChat Pay will include traditional POS units and new Smart POS units based on Android technology that Axepta recently launched in Italy.

Axepta is responding to recent China Tourism Academy data indicating that 20 million Chinese will visit Europe this year, with Italy considered a second-most preferred destination.