Payworks partners with Alipay for European push

Germany-based Payworks is the latest to partner with Ant Financial’s Alipay as it works to expand the base of merchants capable of accepting the popular Chinese online and mobile payments app in Europe.

Payworks, which also operates in the U.S., offers a point of sale payment gateway technology called Pulse that uses a developer-based approach enabling quick integration of alternative payment systems like Alipay, Payworks said in a Thursday press release.

Anthony Kwan/Bloomberg

“Alternative payment methods at the point of sale are gaining importance,” said Christian Deger, Payworks CEO and co-founder, in the release.

Alipay, with 520 million users, is on a mission to expand its footprint outside of China by partnering with payments providers, including in North America. In Europe, Alipay is keeping pace with Tencent’s WeChat, a rival Chinese app that’s also working to gain traction with European merchants.

“With Payworks as a technology partner, we will be able to expand the Alipay platform quickly and easily across Europe, ensuring our customers have the best payment experience when traveling,” said Rita Liu, Alipay’s head of Europe, Middle East and Africa, in the release.