Alipay+ Reports Strong Growth in Q1 Cross-border Travellers’ Spending in Japan

Alipay+ statistics show a 22% year-over-year growth of travellers’ spending in Japan in the first three months of 2025;

Promotion campaigns started from April 1 to support the Expo 2025 Japan;

Alipay+ keeps momentum to support local SMEs especially in lesser-travelled destinations by working with local acquiring partners.

Tokyo, Japan – Alipay+, a unified wallet gateway that offers cross-border payment and digitisation services under Ant International, reported solid growth of travellers’ spending in Japan in the first quarter of 2025, with total transaction volume (TPV) from its partner digital wallets up 22% over the same period of 2024 and an increase of total transactions (TXN) of 44% year-over-year (YoY).

This growth comes as Japan ramps up preparations for the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan (the Expo),and Alipay+’s effort to encourage international visitors to explore more lesser-travelled destinations besides the metropolitan cities.

A total of 19 e-wallets and bank apps, including Alipay (Chinese mainland), AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR, China), South Korea’s Kakao Pay, Naver Pay and Toss, OCBC Digital (Singapore), GCash (the Philippines), Touch ‘n Go eWallet (Malaysia), Tinaba (Italy) and TrueMoney (Thailand) are now accepted in Japan via Alipay+. In Q1, Alipay, AlipayHK, Kakao Pay, Touch ‘n Go eWallet, GCash and TrueMoney are among the most popular e-wallets used by travellers to Japan, with a YoY increase of 20% in TPV.

The Sakura season is expected to bring another wave of opportunity for local businesses. From March 23 to April 7, merchants in cities like Fukuoka, Kyoto, Osaka, and Nagoya began to see early signs of growth with TPV rose by 19% YoY.

As Japan prepares to welcome the world for the Expo, which is set to kick off on April 13 and will last for 183 days, merchants across the country are getting ready to greet over 3.5 million international visitors projected by Japan's Expo Association. This growing readiness is also reflected in the increasing collaboration between local merchants, mobile payment service providers, and cross-border payment gateways.

In alignment with Japan's nationwide excitement around the Expo, Alipay+ has launched a campaign from April 1 to October 31. During this period, customers using Alipay, AlipayHK, Kakao Pay, Toss, GCash, Touch 'n Go eWallet, TrueMoney, can enjoy a 10% discount (up to 1,000 JPY) at participating stores in Japan displaying the “Alipay+ Fully Supports Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai” campaign poster.

Alipay+ is available in all the 47 prefectures in Japan and is actively expanding its merchant network by working with local acquiring partners. Thanks to an expanded partnership with PayPay in late 2024, Alipay+ now connects global travellers with over 3 million Japanese merchants, including a large number of small and medium-sized businesses. This further drives Alipay+’s effort to serve travellers to explore lesser-travelled destinations beyond metropolitans.

Merchants in non-metropolitan regions began to see a growing tourist interest in authentic local experience and recorded notable TPV growth in the first quarter. Kagawa, Kagoshima, Tokushima ranked among the fastest-growing regions in terms of YoY TPV performance. Hokkaido, home to renowned ski destinations like Niseko and Rusutsu, saw a 73% TPV rise YoY. Similarly, in Oita, a famous hot spring destination on Japan’s Kyushu Island, merchants recorded TPV growth by 66% YoY.

“At Alipay+, we’re committed to helping global travellers experience the richness of local Japan and supporting merchants who make it special through innovative cross-border payment technology,” said Taiki Todo, Senior Business Development Manager of Alipay+ Japan, Ant International. “As travellers develop a deeper understanding and respect for Japanese culture, we look forward to collaborating with our payment partners and local merchants to further advance sustainable travel across Japan.”

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.