The partnership between DBS and Ant International aims to enhance payments and fintech innovation across Asia.
DBS and Ant International have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Singapore FinTech Festival 2025, expanding their long-term partnership to accelerate innovation in digital payments, cross-border connectivity, and inclusive financial services across Asia.
The agreement will see both organisations leverage DBS’s digital banking expertise and Ant International’s advanced technologies in AI and blockchain to scale secure, interoperable payment solutions for businesses and consumers. The partnership also commits Alipay+, Antom, WorldFirst, and Bettr Platform Tech to a joint strategy spanning four key areas of cooperation.
DBS PayLah! will join the Alipay+ ecosystem, enabling over three million users to make QR payments at 150 million merchants in more than 100 markets and extending seamless cross-border access for Singapore customers. The partnership also explores real-time remittances between DBS customers and 1.8 billion Alipay+ accounts via ISO 20022 messaging and the SWIFT network, improving payment transparency and speed.
Further collaboration will focus on SME digitisation, integrating Antom’s Model Context Protocol (MCP)-based Agentic Payment system to streamline alternative payment methods, automate checkout, and support digital transformation. Through WorldFirst, DBS will also expand same-day and near-instant cross-border settlement solutions for SME clients.
Both partners reaffirmed their commitment to tokenised deposits and joint research into next-generation fintech infrastructure, deepening their shared goal of building secure, inclusive, and sustainable financial ecosystems.
“We are proud to deepen our partnership with DBS, a like-minded collaborator since 2013,” said Peng Yang, CEO of Ant International. “Together we aim to enhance regional commerce, nurture innovation, and drive inclusive growth for businesses and communities.”
Tan Su Shan, CEO of DBS, added, “By synergising our strengths with Ant International, we can unlock new avenues for growth, accelerate future-ready solutions such as tokenised deposits and agentic payments, and reimagine finance for greater impact across Asia.”
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