UnionPay said visitors doubled their payments with its QR codes in China in 2025, as more travellers pay with apps from home
UnionPay may not be the first name that comes to mind when you scan to pay during a holiday in China.
Yet, the number of QR transactions made with overseas e-wallets linked to UnionPay doubled year-on-year in 2025, according to Carine Low, Singapore country manager, UnionPay International. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of China UnionPay, one of the world’s largest payment networks.
The value of those payments rose 75 per cent over the same period, Low added. UnionPay did not disclose absolute figures.
Scanning QR codes, square barcodes that store details like payment information, is the most common way to pay in the country.
The growth comes as UnionPay, set up in 2002 to consolidate China’s bank card system, expands its role in making payments easier across borders and platforms.
A key part of this was co-building the Cross-Border Interconnection Payment Gateway (CPG), Low said. It links overseas e-wallets to China’s QR payment ecosystem – including Ant Group’s Alipay and Tencent’s Weixin Pay – and is approved by regulator People’s Bank of China.
Alipay and Weixin Pay, known as WeChat Pay outside China, are the largest mobile payments services in the country.
CPG, launched in 2025, allows overseas visitors to pay in China with banking and mobile wallet apps they already use at home, Low said.
“For travellers, this means a far more seamless experience, eliminating the need to download local payment apps,” said Low said.
Over 53 million merchants accept UnionPay QR codes globally, Low said.
Singapore travellers with the DBS PayLah! or OCBC app can scan UnionPay QR codes at shops in China.
They do not need to change Singapore dollars to renminbi before paying, as these apps convert the currencies in real time, Low added.
Connecting payment rails
The cross-border push builds on UnionPay’s established card business. It is one of the world’s largest card networks, with over 10 billion credit and debit cards in circulation last year, according to the 2026 Nilson Report.
UnionPay International has also announced a partnership with Weixin Pay. Users of 35 UnionPay-linked overseas e-wallets can now scan Weixin QR codes to pay in China, Low said.
In December 2025, UnionPay also launched the Nihao China app for overseas visitors, in partnership with China’s tourism ministry. Travellers can use the app to scan UnionPay, Alipay and Weixin Pay QR codes, according to Low.
Its interface is in English, with features including translation, public transport access, travel bookings and visitor deals.
Looking ahead, UnionPay will continue to focus on making different payment networks work better and cross-border payments simpler, Low said.
“Ultimately, we want consumers and businesses to enjoy the same ease and confidence when making payments across borders as they do at home.”
This was produced in partnership with the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Global Finance & Technology Network.
For more stories, go to bt.sg/sff26

















