PPMI and Alipay+ Expand QR Ph for Cross-Border Commerce, Connecting Filipino Businesses with Global Consumers

MANILA, Philippines--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 1, 2026--

The Philippine Payments Management, Inc. (PPMI) and Ant International's unified wallet gateway, Alipay+, have officially enabled Alipay+ on QR Ph, seamlessly connecting the nation's digital payments ecosystem with global commerce. This milestone is in alignment with and supports the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' (BSP) digital payments transformation goals.

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According to the BSP’s 2025 Report on E-Payments Measurement, digital payments now account for 64.69% of retail transaction volume in the Philippines, while QR Ph transactions surged more than 13 times in 2025.

By connecting this rapidly growing national QR network to Alipay+'s global ecosystem, international consumers can use their home e-wallets and banking apps to scan and pay directly at any QR Ph-accepting merchants nationwide. Merchants can now receive payments from Alipay+ partner users through their existing QR Ph codes, enabling local businesses, particularly micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), to participate in cross-border commerce and benefit from the growing flow of international travelers and digital consumers.

From digital payments to cross-border commerce

For Filipino SMEs, digital payments are increasingly more than a way to collect money. They can be a gateway to new customers, new markets and new sources of growth, demonstrating how local digital payment networks can become gateways to wider global digital economy.

"QR Ph has played an important role in advancing a more connected and interoperable digital payments ecosystem in the Philippines, making digital payments more accessible and convenient for businesses and consumers. Through our partnership with Alipay+, we are extending that connectivity beyond our borders, enabling Filipino merchants — particularly SMEs — to serve international customers more seamlessly. This is an important step in bringing the benefits of digitalisation into everyday commerce, while creating new opportunities for Filipino businesses to participate and grow in the global digital economy," said Carmelita “Melit” Araneta, General Manager of Philippine Payments Management Inc.

By connecting Alipay+ to QR Ph, that digital transformation can extend beyond the Philippines’ borders, bringing international payment connectivity to the same digital payment ecosystem already used by Filipino consumers and businesses.

“Our role is to make it as easy as possible for a customer to pay with the mobile app they already use, while helping the merchant participate in a much bigger marketplace. The Philippines has built a strong digital payments ecosystem through QR Ph, and by connecting that ecosystem with Alipay+, we are helping bring the benefits of digitalisation to the next level, giving Filipino businesses a more seamless way to serve consumers from around the world,” said Danny Chung, General Manager of Alipay+ Global Growth Center, Ant International.

The partnership also reflects Alipay+’s broader strategy of working with national payment schemes to expand interoperable mobile payments across markets. Alipay+ is now connected to 10+ national QR schemes across Asia, Middle East and Latin America, bringing cross-border payment capabilities into local payment ecosystems.

Alipay+ currently connects more than 2 billion consumer accounts, over 50 mobile payment providers, including leading e-wallets and bank apps, 10+ national switches, and QR and NFC merchants globally across 220+ markets. Beyond driving payments interoperability, Alipay+ is also expanding its suite of AI solutions to help mobile payment providers and merchants transform for the next chapter of mobile and digital commerce.

About PPMI

Established in 2017 under Republic Act No. 11127 or the National Payment Systems Act (NPSA), the Philippine Payments Management Inc. (PPMI) collaborates with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Supervised Financial Institutions (BSFIs) to advance accessibility and competitiveness in the Philippine payments system through digital payments initiatives.

Designated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) as the Payments System Management Body (PSMB) in 2018 under BSP Circular 980 on the National Retail Payment System (NRPS), PPMI drives the transition from cash-heavy to cash-lite payment transactions, offering faster, safer and more convenient digital financial services.

PPMI is guided by a Board of Directors composed of CEO-representatives from banks (universal, commercial, thrift and rural banks), non-bank E-money issuers (NB-EMIs), and independent executives. Under the Board leadership, PPMI fosters scalable and reliable innovations in digital payments.

All members participate in both or at least one Automated Clearing House (ACH) namely PESONet for batch electronic transfers and InstaPay for instant electronic transfers.

About Alipay+

Ant International's Alipay+ is a unified wallet gateway with cross-border payment and digitisation services that help connect global merchants to consumers. Consumers enjoy seamless payments a broad choice of deals and the convenience of digital services using their preferred payment app/e-wallet while travelling abroad. Many small and medium-sized businesses already use Alipay+ digital tools to enhance efficiency and achieve omni-channel growth.

(L-R) Danny Chung, General Manager of Alipay+ Global Growth Center, Ant International; Carmelita “Melit” Araneta, General Manager of Philippine Payments Management Inc.; Atty. Bridget Rose M. Mesina-Romero, Director, Payments Policy and Development Department, Bangko Sentral ng Philipinas

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Filmmaker and drone pilot Manish Maharjan crossed into Nepal from China’s Tibet through Rasuwagadhi, a border crossing closest to where last week's catastrophic flooding began, two days before the disaster. Returning home, little did he know he would be using his professional skills to help with rescue efforts along a route he has known intimately from years of travel for work.

As authorities mobilized dozens of rescue and relief teams, Maharjan joined the Nepal Army’s rescue efforts a day after the flash floods, which have since killed more than 1,000 people and left thousands missing in Nepal and China.

Maharjan has been operating thermal drones to assist rescue teams, focused on locating and finding at least 900 workers who are still missing from 12 hydropower projects buried under mud and debris. About 500 of them are believed to be trapped inside power plant tunnels.

He said drones were effective in locating people who were stranded on hillsides and in isolated places, including caves.

“We used microphone speakers to call out to them. In some places, we even played songs and then waited for a response. That worked in a few cases and helped us locate people,” Maharjan said.

While drones have helped him rescue some stranded people in open areas, the tunnels present an entirely different challenge, he said.

“We found tunnels were filled with mud like toothpaste in a tube,” Maharjan said. “There was no hollow or empty space inside.”

The Aug. 26 flash floods started after a glacial collapse high in the Himalayan region. Scientists who studied satellite images said bedrock underneath a glacier high in the Himalayan region had collapsed, taking part of the glacier with it. The rockfall was so extreme that it registered as a magnitude 5.2 seismic event.

The rocks and melted water then swelled the rivers in the valleys below, causing a torrent of water in Tibet and Nepal and causing widespread damage to critical infrastructure, including hydropower plants, roads, buildings and bridges in the region.

Some workers in the power plant tunnels managed to call for help when the disaster struck, and others who managed to flee reported their colleagues were still in the tunnels, according to Mohan Kumar Dangi, president of the Independent Power Producers’ Association. It was unclear whether rescuers have had any contact with the trapped workers since the initial calls for help.

As time slips away, rescuers are finding it increasingly difficult to locate these missing people. Experts say the first 72 hours are critical as the chances of survival drop without access to clean water. Access to breathable air is another key to survival.

Maharjan said the tunnel searches were challenging because of their difficult access and the absence of any empty space.

“I can only fly drones in tunnels that are long and straight,” he said. “Once there are bends, turns or zigzags, it becomes much harder to operate and search effectively.”

At the Rasuwagadhi hydropower project, Maharjan managed to send a drone to search deep inside and all the way to the end of the tunnel but found no sign of any life.

“We checked repeatedly but it was filled with mud and debris,” he said. “Looking at it, I could only imagine the force of the flood.”

Hussain reported from New Delhi.

This photo provided by the Nepal Army, shows Nepal army soldiers undertake rescue operation at the site of a hydropower project in Upper Trishuli, Nepal, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (Nepal Army via AP)