Bastille's Story: AlipayHK Helps Local Merchants Expand International Customer Sources

As electronic payments become increasingly widespread, AlipayHK has helped local merchants gain access to 21 overseas e-wallets, attracting global tourists to spend in Hong Kong. During the May Day Holiday this year, the visitor spending in Hong Kong increased by nearly 200%, bringing new impetus for development to local merchants.

The AlipayHK users can obtain unique experiences, including attending the fans-meetings with Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and watching NBA games, etc. by using the A. Points they can earn from all the recognized transactions throughout the year. Photo source: AlipayHK

With the significant popularization of electronic payment in Hong Kong, AlipayHK stated that the consumption scenarios of its over 4.5 million active users are very diverse, covering local and cross-border payments, e-commerce shopping, food and beverage delivery, digital entertainment, payment and remittance, transportation and online ride-hailing services, etc., all of which have recorded significant growth in transaction volumes, reflecting the increasing recognition of the Hong Kong market for e-wallet application.

Photo source: AlipayHK

Plans to be transformed into a Super App, covering the aspects of transportation, financial management, travel payment, etc.

AlipayHK launched the Bonus Point Program in 2023, which allowed users to directly offset consumption amount, redeem coupons from different merchants, participate in mini-games, and even attend the fans-meetings with Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and watch NBA games, etc. by using the A. Points they can earn from all the recognized transactions throughout the year.

AlipayHK stated that the company has now transformed from a payment tool App into a "Super App", providing services in multiple aspects such as "transportation", "payment", "Chill Life", "financial management", and "Travel +", etc.

AlipayHK pointed out that as a Super App, the company has collaborated with over 500 merchants this year, aiming to provide App users with diverse consumption choices from daily clothing, food and beverage, to transportation and travel. In order to let the cooperative merchants achieve better publicity effects and offer more high-quality services to consumers, AlipayHK will also provide various platforms to them.

AlipayHK had co-organized the Happy Shopping Festival with the Hong Kong Retail Management Association. Photo source: AlipayHK

Launched AlipayHK Online Shopping Discount Festival, spanning multiple popular shopping periods

AlipayHK mentioned that the company had co-organized the Happy Shopping Festival with the Hong Kong Retail Management Association, in which over 180 brands had participated and provided over one million coupons to consumers. In addition, AlipayHK has also launched the Online Shopping Discount Festival since October, spanning multiple popular shopping periods including Double Eleven, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas, and building cooperation with various local merchants, such as Klook, IT, Sasa, Fortress and PARKnSHOP, etc. to provide discounts covering multiple online shopping categories including e-commerce, travel, in-game purchases, food and beverage delivery, insurance, etc., allowing users to gain additional rewards via AlipayHK, thus helps to stimulate the local consumption atmosphere.

AlipayHK has launched the Online Shopping Discount Festival since October. Photo source: AlipayHK

The visitor spending during the May Day Holiday has increased by nearly 200% compared to the previous year

Meanwhile, AlipayHK has continued to assist Hong Kong merchants in realizing digital upgrades, allowing more tourists from all over the world to make payments in Hong Kong. The local merchants cooperating with AlipayHK have earlier gained access to 21 e-wallets from different countries and regions with the support of Alipay+ under the Ant Group Global Enterprise, including Touch 'n Go eWallet from Malaysia, GCash from the Philippines, Changi Pay from Singapore, TrueMoney from Thailand, Kakao Pay from South Korea, Tinaba from Italy, etc. The overseas e-wallet users can scan the code to make payments at AlipayHK merchants after arriving in Hong Kong. According to the data from AlipayHK, the visitor spending of overseas e-wallets in Hong Kong has increased by nearly 200% during the May Day Holiday this year.

Since fraud cases have been on the rise recently, when asked how AlipayHK would enhance the App's anti-fraud measures, the company stated that users can start the account security safeguard installed in the App to strengthen the protection of their funds. The safeguard includes three core functions - verification of new device payment, protection of large amount transactions, and shielding of night transactions, ensuring that users can receive multiple identity verifications when using new devices and enhancing protection when they conduct transactions in the evening. Besides, users can also customize the transaction amount and time for triggering protection settings of the App, making every transaction more reassuring and reliable. To respond to the risks of fraud and money laundering, AlipayHK also provides the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the identity verification of users and continuously improve the App's anti-fraud mechanism. Moreover, the transaction risk prevention and control system installed in the App will also operate 24 hours a day to intercept suspicious transactions and conduct multiple verifications.

AlipayHK has collaborated with the Anti-Deception Coordination Centre of the Hong Kong Police Force to conduct the Campus Anti-Scam “Lemon Alliance” Campaign in 10 universities in September to raise young people's awareness of anti-fraud. Photo source: AlipayHK

AlipayHK mentioned that the company has collaborated with the Anti-Deception Coordination Centre of the Hong Kong Police Force to conduct the Campus Anti-Scam “Lemon Alliance” Campaign in 10 universities in September. Encouraging the students to set up safe payment settings, the event has also raised young people's awareness of anti-fraud by displaying anti-fraud publicity vehicles and distributing anti-fraud brochures to them.

CHP investigates cluster of food poisoning after consumption of porcini mushrooms

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (April 20) investigating a cluster of food poisoning cases after consumption of porcini mushrooms. The public is urged to buy mushrooms from reputable and reliable stores.

The cluster involves a male and two females, aged between 12 to 52. Approximately three to six hours after cooking and consuming porcini mushrooms at home on April 5, they presented with vomiting and abdominal pain. They sought medical attention at the Accident and Emergency Department of Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital on April 6 and were subsequently discharged after treatment.

Based on their clinical symptoms, the CHP believed that the patients' food poisoning was caused by consuming porcini mushrooms. Samples of uncooked porcini mushrooms from the same batch provided by a patient were confirmed to be a poisonous mushroom species containing certain gastrointestinal irritants that can remain even after being cooked.

Preliminary investigations revealed that one of the patients bought the porcini mushrooms concerned from Yunnan Province in January this year. The product did not have a trademark, nor information about the place of origin.

The CHP will report the case to the relevant authority of the Chinese Mainland, and will continue to follow up on the case and take appropriate action to safeguard public health.

Mushroom poisoning is generally acute. Common presentations include gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain appearing shortly after ingestion. Depending on the mushroom species, patients may also have other symptoms such as profuse sweating, hallucinations, other neurological symptoms, as well as liver failure. The patient could go into a coma. Death may result in severe cases. If mushroom poisoning is suspected, the patient should seek immediate medical attention and bring along any available remnant for identification.

Members of the public are recommended to take note of the following when choosing or consuming mushrooms locally or overseas:

Buy mushrooms from reputable and reliable suppliers, and do notbuy mushroom products which may be mixed with unknown species;

Do not buy mushrooms which look unhygienic, such as those with growing substrates left with the product, or those which show signs of spoilage such as coloured spots/abnormal smell/slime, etc;

Do not pick wild mushrooms for consumption as it is difficult to distinguish edible mushroom species from inedible ones; and

Wash and cook mushrooms thoroughly before consumption.

Source: AI-found images