QI Tech and Ant International’s Bettr Partner to Expand Credit Access for E-Commerce Merchants and Consumers in Brazil

SÃO PAULO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 26, 2026--

QI Tech, a leading financial services infrastructure provider, has joined forces with Bettr, a leading provider of inclusive and embedded financial services under Ant International, to expand credit solutions for e-commerce sellers and shoppers. The strategic partnership aligns with Brazil’s ongoing efforts to promote inclusive finance, launching targeted lending programs directly within digital marketplaces.

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In its initial phase, QI Tech is collaborating with Bettr to provide working capital loans for small and medium-sized e-commerce businesses, allowing them to expand inventory and scale operations effectively. This partnership also includes a consumer-facing Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) option offered at the point of purchase, enabling shoppers on AliExpress to pay in installments.

Both services are supported by automated analysis based on transactional data, real-time decision-making and sophisticated risk management models, designed to align with users’ needs and repayment capability, encouraging the sustainable use of financing.

QI Tech helps companies automate the entire financial technology journey with solutions for credit, banking, antifraud, payments, etc. Ant International is a leading global digital payment, digitisation and financial technology provider. It supports financial institutions and merchants of all sizes by providing a comprehensive suite of solutions, ranging from payment and account services to value-added offerings such as merchant digitisation, embedded finance, treasury management and other FinAI innovations.

"We work with Ant International to better serve the growing demand for inclusive financial solutions among underserved groups in Brazil, especially small businesses. We seek to enable a more interconnected ecosystem, covering onboarding, credit analysis, credit issuance, and the structuring of a Credit Rights Investment Fund (FIDC)," states Pedro Mac Dowell, CEO and founder of QI Tech.

The partnership comes amid a structural transformation in retail, driven by the growth of e-commerce, the digitalization of consumption, and the search for more fluid and integrated shopping experiences. Pressured by tighter margins, rising logistics costs, and more demanding consumers, the industry is seeking Embedded Finance solutions that connect payments, credit, delivery, and consumer engagement into a single journey. The new e-retail journey raises the average ticket, reduces cart abandonment, as well as creates new revenue streams.

According to a Brazil e-commerce market analysis by Mordor Intelligence, the Brazilian e-commerce market size stands at USD 69.21 billion in 2026 and is projected to climb to USD 150.91 billion by 2031. This research underscores a strong consumer preference for payment solutions that fit naturally into the digital purchasing journey, a factor that significantly enhances the customer experience and boosts online retail conversion rates.

"Credit is moving away from being an isolated product to becoming a natural part of the digital experience. This partnership combines Ant International’s tech capabilities with QI Tech’s regulated and scalable infrastructure, to better connect credit and payments within Brazil’s evolving retail landscape," states Pedro.

“The partnership underlines our commitment to local collaboration for deeper insights and creating greater synergy,” said Quan Yu, General Manager of Bettr Credit, Senior Vice President of Ant International. “By making long-term investments in such partnerships, we’re expanding broader, more flexible and secure consumer credit access, helping users manage their finances while unlocking new growth avenues for merchants, while also supporting SMEs with financing to build a more resilient retail ecosystem.”

About QI Tech

QI Tech is a technology infrastructure company that enables institutions to operate financial services and products. Through proprietary technology, it offers Banking-as-a-Service, Lending-as-a-Service, fund administration and custody, and risk management solutions for companies across various sectors, including banks, asset managers, and retail.

It was the first company to obtain an SCD (Direct Credit Society) license granted by the Central Bank of Brazil and also operates a DTVM (Securities Broker/Dealer) authorized by the CVM (Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission). QI Tech has received investments from major funds such as GIC, General Atlantic, and Across Capital, and since 2024, it has been recognized as the only Latin American unicorn in the sector. In 2025, the company was named by ANBIMA as the largest administrator and custodian of FIDCs (Credit Rights Investment Funds) in the country.

About Bettr

Ant International’s Bettr offers inclusive financial services and technology solutions that transform how businesses around the world access, manage, and move money. Bettr aims to advance financial inclusion by harnessing technology and working with partners across the public and private sectors.

To learn more, please visit https://www.bettr.com/.

Consumers can select BNPL option at checkout, facilitated by Bettr

Russian air defenses intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones in a major nighttime attack on 12 Russian regions as well as the Russia-held Crimean peninsula, the Black Sea and the Azov Sea, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Friday.

It appeared to be one of the biggest drone attacks on Russian regions and the illegally annexed Crimea since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago.

In an effort to turn the tables on Russia’s grinding war of attrition, Ukrainian long-range drones have for months been battering targets, including oil production and energy facilities, behind the front line and deep inside Russia. The campaign has choked Russian fuel supplies and military deliveries, stalling Russia's efforts on the battlefield, Western officials and analysts say, and heaped pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The major attack came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X that he had ordered “a 40-day influence operation,” believed to mean an escalation of attacks, aimed at “compelling (Russia) to end the war” after U.S. peace efforts over the past year yielded no breakthrough.

In the Tula region just south of Moscow, a private house was damaged by the attack and a woman was wounded, Tula Gov. Dmitry Milyaev said in an online statement as reports of damage caused by the attack began to emerge.

He also said a power line was damaged and an unspecified industrial facility in the city of Novomoskovsk.

Russian independent online outlet Astra reported that a chemical plant and a hydroelectric plant in Novomoskovsk were attacked and caught fire. The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify the report, and there was no official confirmation.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin also reported that 47 Ukrainian drones were downed as they flew toward the Russian capital. He did not report any casualties or damage.

Two people were killed and seven others injured in Russian attacks on the northeastern Kharkiv region over the previous 24 hours, regional head Oleh Syniehubov said Friday.

Russian forces struck the city of Kharkiv and 16 other settlements across the region using guided aerial bombs and drones of various types, Syniehubov said.

Ukraine’s Defense Forces overnight stopped 174 of 189 Russian drones, the Ukrainian air force said. However, four of seven Iskander-M ballistic missiles that were fired got through air defenses and struck various locations, it said.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

A woman holds her cat after it being found during search and rescue works in the damaged residential building following Russia's missile attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Saturday, June 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)