Ant International Ranks Fourth in Top 100 FinTech List

Ant International has secured fourth position in FinTech Magazine's Top 100 FinTech Companies list, marking recognition for the Singapore-headquartered digital payments and financial technology provider that processed more than US$1trn in global transactions during 2024, according to Bloomberg. 

The company operates four divisions following a 2024 restructuring: Alipay+, Antom, WorldFirst and a new embedded finance unit. 

Ant International became an independent entity in 2024 after separating from parent company Ant Group, establishing its own board whilst maintaining operations across more than 30 offices worldwide.

Cross-Border Infrastructure Expansion

Alipay+, the company's cross-border mobile payment platform, now has 40 payment partners, connects 100M merchants across 100+ markets, with 1.8 billion user accounts. 

The division partners with 35 payment providers including electronic wallets, banking applications and buy-now-pay-later services. 

In 2024, cross-border transactions through Alipay+ payment partners grew three times year-on-year.

The platform has integrated with national QR code systems including Singapore's SGQR, Malaysia's PayNet, South Korea's ZeroPay, Cambodia's KHQR, Nepal's NepalPay QR and Sri Lanka's LankaPay. 

Small and medium enterprises represent more than 90% of merchants accepting QR payments through the platform.

“Tourism is playing an increasingly significant role in local economies, accelerating growth for merchants across sectors, but businesses need to adapt to new digital habits and preferences,” says Douglas Feagin, President of Ant International.

Antom, which provides merchant payment and digitalisation services, nearly doubled its total payment volume between January and November 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. 

The division's card processing volume grew more than 10 times year-on-year. 

Antom Copilot, launched in 2024, reduced payment channel integration time from five to 10 days to several minutes.

Financial Services Growth

WorldFirst, the company's cross-border business account service, reached US$300bn in annual total payment volume in 2024, representing four times its 2020 figure five years after acquisition. 

The platform has served 1.2 million small and medium-sized businesses globally. 

The new embedded finance division serves more than 11 million underserved SMEs and individuals in Southeast Asia and South Asia, offering foreign exchange, treasury management and lending services through AI-powered technology. 

In 2024, loans under management across Ant International's SME financing services more than doubled in comparison to figures from 2023.

"2024 has been a transformative year for Ant International," said Peng Yang, Chief Executive Officer of Ant International. 

"We are committed to advance inclusive growth through AI-powered innovation and collaboration on cross-border travel, trade, commerce and inclusive finance."

AI Security Implementation

Earlier this year, Ant International launched AI SHIELD:  a security toolkit addressing risks in AI systems used for financial services. 

The framework includes the AI Security Docker, which applies security measures throughout development and deployment of AI models used in fraud detection, payment authorisation and customer interaction tools.

Research from the European Journal of Futures Research estimates AI-related incidents could lead to a cost of between US$1.44trn to US$4.32trn by the end of the century.

The company has dedicated its service in light of concerns regarding the rise of deepfakes. 

Tianyi Zhang, General Manager of Risk Management and Cybersecurity at Ant International, said: “In some markets, we have found that more than 70% of new enrollments may be deepfake attempts.”

 “We’ve identified more than 150 types of deepfake attacks.”

"Trusted AI could be a defining factor in unlocking the full potential of artificial intelligence in financial services,"

"At Ant International, we are committed to working with industry partners to evolve the most advanced risk management framework for AI, while harnessing AI itself to strengthen our risk management capabilities."

Additionally, Ant International is dedicated to reducing financial crime by implementing railguards to keep clients safe. 

Alipay+ EasySafePay 360, launched in September 2025, can reduce account takeover incidents in digital wallet payments by 90%, according to company data. 

Ant International is a launch partner of the Agent Payments Protocol alongside Google, an initiative establishing standards for how AI agents conduct authorised transactions.

Regional Market Strategy

In February 2025, Ant International opened its first Middle East office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 

The company signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia in May 2024 to facilitate business expansion in the Kingdom.

"Even as technology advances in leaps and bounds, small businesses continue to face challenges in today's digitalised international transactions, from cross-border payment to cross-market growth," said Douglas Feagin during the Global Fintech Technology Network Forum in Japan in March 2025.

"We need to convert exciting developments in foundational technologies, such as AI, into comprehensive, effective and affordable solutions for the world's long-tail business community.”