Ant International raises $1.2 billion to accelerate global fintech and AI expansion
Ant International has closed a Series A funding round of approximately $1.2 billion, securing backing from Ant Group, Alibaba, existing shareholders, and several global investment institutions. The fresh capital is earmarked to supercharge the company’s overseas fintech push, deepen its investment in artificial intelligence, and broaden its suite of cross-border and digital financial services for merchants and consumers worldwide.
Strategic funding to power AI and cross‑border payments
According to Chinese media reports, the new funding will be channeled into three core areas: scaling Ant International’s global footprint, advancing AI-powered financial technologies, and expanding key services such as cross-border payments and multi-currency global accounts.
A central objective is to help merchants-particularly those selling across borders-grow more efficiently by leveraging Ant International’s payment, treasury, and risk-management solutions. The company aims to make it easier for businesses to collect payments in local currencies, settle quickly, and manage liquidity across multiple markets, all with the support of AI-driven automation.
Investor confidence after sustained profitability
The deal caps months of heightened investor interest in Ant International, which is headquartered in Singapore and has been rapidly growing outside mainland China. Mid-2024 reports indicated the company had been targeting a fundraising round of around $1 billion, at a valuation of at least $10 billion, after achieving eight consecutive profitable quarters.
The final figure of roughly $1.2 billion underscores strong investor conviction in Ant International’s trajectory. While Ant Group and Alibaba are among the prominent backers, the company has not publicly disclosed the names of the international investment firms that also participated in the round.
Focus on AI as the next growth engine
A significant portion of the new capital will be allocated to artificial intelligence. Ant International plans to embed AI more deeply across its product stack-from risk control and fraud prevention to credit assessment, customer service, and treasury optimization.
For merchants, this could translate into more intelligent cash-flow forecasting, automated reconciliation tools, personalized financing offers, and smarter routing of payments to minimize costs and settlement times. For consumers, AI can help improve security, reduce false declines in payments, and tailor financial services to spending patterns and behavioral data.
By investing aggressively in AI, Ant International is positioning itself not just as a payment processor, but as a full-fledged technology partner for businesses operating across borders.
A key pillar of Ant Group’s international strategy
Ant International has emerged as the centerpiece of Ant Group’s overseas ambitions after a major corporate reorganization. In March 2024, Ant Group Chairman Eric Jing announced that Ant International, OceanBase, and Ant Digital had each formed independent boards of directors and would operate as standalone businesses.
Within this new structure, Ant International acts as the group’s primary vehicle for international financial services and digital payments. Eric Jing serves as chairman of Ant International, with Yang Peng as chief executive officer and Douglas Feagin as president. This leadership team is tasked with balancing rapid growth abroad against evolving regulatory landscapes and intensifying competition in global payments.
A growing global network from a Singapore hub
Operating from its base in Singapore, Ant International now serves markets across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America. The company says its network links more than 150 million merchants to over 2 billion consumer accounts worldwide.
This reach is supported by innovation, settlement, and operational hubs in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia. Through these centers, Ant International coordinates product development, compliance, risk management, and technical operations to support its increasingly complex, multi-jurisdictional infrastructure.
Four business pillars: Alipay+, Antom, WorldFirst, Bettr
Ant International’s activities are organized into four main business units, each targeting a different segment of the global fintech value chain:
1. Alipay+ – An international payment and marketing solution that connects local digital wallets and payment apps with global merchants. It allows consumers to pay using the apps they already use at home, while merchants receive settlements in local currencies through their existing payment partners.
2. Antom – A merchant payments platform focused on in-store and online acceptance, helping businesses integrate multiple local and international payment methods through a single interface.
3. WorldFirst – A cross-border financial services provider that offers global accounts, foreign exchange, and payment solutions tailored to exporters, importers, and digital sellers. It is particularly popular among small and mid-sized enterprises engaged in international trade and e-commerce.
4. Bettr – A newer unit developing AI-driven treasury and fintech products, designed to help companies optimize liquidity, manage multi-currency positions, and automate key financial workflows.
Together, these units allow Ant International to serve a broad spectrum of clients-from micro-merchants to large enterprises-while capturing value at multiple stages of the cross-border payment and treasury chain.
Rapid revenue growth, outpacing domestic peers
Industry estimates suggest that Ant International generated around $3.7 billion in revenue in 2025, roughly 25% higher than the previous year. Although this still represents only about one-tenth of Ant Group’s total revenue, the international arm has been expanding more quickly than many of the group’s domestic businesses.
This growth is being fueled by several structural trends: the continued rise of cross-border e-commerce, increasing adoption of digital wallets and QR code payments, and growing demand for more efficient global treasury and settlement solutions among businesses of all sizes.
Cross-border payments as the core growth driver
At the heart of Ant International’s international strategy is cross-border payments. The company’s Alipay+ network now spans more than 100 markets, enabling travelers and online shoppers to pay with the digital wallets they already use, while merchants are paid out through familiar local settlement systems.
For merchants, this reduces the complexity of managing multiple payment providers for different markets and allows them to tap into customer bases that prefer wallet or QR-based payments over traditional cards. For consumers, it enables a more seamless experience when spending abroad or on foreign websites, without needing to adopt new apps or payment methods.
Blockchain as the hidden engine: Whale platform
Supporting a large share of this cross-border activity is Whale, Ant International’s blockchain platform. Company figures previously cited in financial media indicated that Ant International processed over $1 trillion in global transactions in 2024, with roughly one-third of these payments settled using blockchain infrastructure.
By routing a significant fraction of its volume through Whale, Ant International aims to reduce settlement times, lower operational risks, and improve transparency around transaction status. Blockchain-based settlement can also reduce dependence on long chains of correspondent banks, which traditionally add cost and complexity to cross-border transfers.
From payments to enterprise treasury solutions
Ant International has not limited blockchain to consumer payments. It has also been extending Whale into enterprise-focused treasury and liquidity use cases. In earlier pilots with global banks such as Standard Chartered, the company tested blockchain-based liquidity transfers denominated in Singapore dollars, following initial trials involving Hong Kong dollar settlements under tokenization initiatives supervised by local regulators.
These experiments are intended to demonstrate how tokenized cash and blockchain-based settlement can simplify intra-group liquidity movements, reduce reconciliation efforts, and offer near real-time visibility into corporate cash positions. For multinational corporations managing funds across diverse banking partners and jurisdictions, such capabilities can significantly improve capital efficiency.
Integrating regulated digital assets and stablecoins
In parallel with blockchain infrastructure, Ant International has started to weave regulated digital assets into its payment stack. Earlier this year, it incorporated the USDC stablecoin-issued by Circle-into segments of its cross-border settlement network.
This integration allows selected transactions to be settled using USDC across blockchain rails, rather than relying solely on traditional bank transfers. The use of stablecoins pegged to major fiat currencies can provide faster settlement, particularly in corridors where banking infrastructure is less efficient or operates with limited hours.
Ant International views regulated stablecoins as an additional tool, rather than a complete replacement for existing settlement methods. Over time, they are expected to become a more prominent component of its international strategy, especially as regulatory frameworks around digital assets continue to mature.
Why this funding round matters for global fintech
The $1.2 billion Series A goes beyond a routine fundraising milestone. It signals that large-scale investors still see significant space for innovation in global payments and digital finance, even as the sector becomes more regulated and competitive.
For the broader fintech ecosystem, Ant International’s move highlights several trends:
– The convergence of payments, treasury, and AI into integrated platforms.
– The growing role of blockchain and stablecoins in mainstream financial infrastructure.
– The strategic importance of serving merchants that sell globally but operate with local resources and capabilities.
As Ant International channels this capital into AI, cross-border infrastructure, and regulated digital assets, it will likely intensify competition with card networks, regional payment champions, and other large fintechs that are also racing to capture global transaction flows.
Implications for merchants and SMEs
For merchants-especially small and medium-sized businesses engaged in international trade-the company’s expanded capabilities could translate into more accessible global accounts, lower FX and transaction costs, and simpler integration with multiple payment methods via a single provider.
AI-powered tools promised by Ant International, such as automated reconciliation, risk scoring, and cash-flow forecasting, may help smaller firms operate with a level of financial sophistication traditionally reserved for large corporations. This, in turn, could lower barriers to entering new markets, advertising to foreign consumers, and participating in global supply chains.
Regulatory and competitive challenges ahead
Despite its momentum, Ant International faces a complex environment. Expanding across dozens of jurisdictions requires navigating differing rules on data protection, anti-money laundering, digital assets, and consumer protection. At the same time, governments and central banks are advancing their own instant-payment schemes and exploring central bank digital currencies, which may reshape cross-border transactions.
Competition is also intensifying. Global card schemes, regional mobile wallet providers, international banks, and other large fintech platforms are all vying to be the default choice for cross-border commerce. Ant International’s ability to leverage AI, blockchain, and its large merchant-consumer network will be critical in maintaining an edge.
What to watch next
Following this Series A, key developments to monitor include:
– New AI-driven products for merchants and financial institutions.
– Expansion of Alipay+ acceptance into additional markets and verticals.
– Wider use of Whale blockchain in both consumer and enterprise transactions.
– Increased adoption of stablecoins and other regulated digital assets within settlement flows.
– Strategic partnerships with banks, payment providers, and regulators in key regions.
How effectively Ant International deploys its new $1.2 billion war chest will help determine not only its own trajectory, but also the pace at which technologies like AI, blockchain, and stablecoins become embedded in day-to-day global payments.