Hong Leong Bank opens China QR payment access with UnionPay
Customers can pay from their bank accounts without loading separate e-wallets, with no transaction fees, the bank said.
Hong Leong Bank Bhd (HLB) has partnered with UnionPay International (UPI) to extend its app-based QR payments to China. The bank said HLB Connect users can access more than 120 million merchant touchpoints served by UnionPay and Weixin Pay.
Andrew Jong, HLB’s managing director of personal financial services, said payments come straight from customers’ banking accounts, removing the need to load money into separate e-wallets. He said there were no transaction fees and customers could use the Malaysian ringgit wallet within their Pay&Save account.
The feature accommodates both ways of paying by QR code: scanning a code provided by a merchant, or showing a code on a phone for the merchant to read. Jong said customers could additionally connect eligible credit and debit cards to Chinese super-apps such as Weixin Pay for transport, meal deliveries and purchases at food and beverage outlets.
Kevin Lam, HLB’s group managing director and chief executive officer, said tests had been carried out at multiple Chinese locations in the month preceding the launch. He said the arrangement brings UPI’s merchant network into the banking app customers already use in Malaysia.
The bank said participating businesses in Thailand, Macau and Hong Kong also support the service. It is looking to add payment connections in further destinations frequented by Malaysian travellers.
