Latest news with #Alipay+Voyager
Techday NZ
03-07-2025
- Business
- Techday NZ
Ant launches Alipay+ Voyager, an AI travel tool in e-wallets
Ant International has launched Alipay+ Voyager, an artificial intelligence-driven travel companion built into digital wallets, with initial support from travel platforms including Agoda, Fliggy and The service incorporates AI capabilities developed by Ant International and aims to streamline itinerary planning, booking travel, and making in-destination purchases through a single AI-powered interface available in users' local languages. Alipay+ Voyager is being made available first within three of Asia's largest e-wallets: Alipay (Chinese mainland), AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR, China), and GCash (the Philippines), with plans to introduce the solution to more wallets throughout 2025. The platform is designed to assist travellers globally, including those from Australia, with the objective of simplifying the entire travel process using familiar digital payment and super app solutions. Service details The system enables users to plan and book trips, manage activity bookings, and make payments for local services directly from their digital wallet. Integration with over 100 million merchants in the Alipay+ ecosystem promises broad acceptance and support for purchases abroad. Australian travellers are among those who can expect a more seamless travel experience, with itinerary planning, research, and booking—covering flights, accommodation, and activities—consolidated into one interface. The AI assistant can also help users navigate local purchases and payments using text or voice commands in their language. Market context Global trends in travel show an ongoing increase in the use of mobile devices, with mobile already accounting for two-thirds of online travel traffic. Research indicates the online travel market is anticipated to grow by 10% annually through 2032. Younger travellers, including those in the Gen Z demographic, are seeking personalisation and hyperlocal experiences, often accessed through all-in-one mobile platforms. The expansion of Alipay+ beyond cross-border payments to offer agentic AI capabilities reflects broader industry shifts towards digital solutions that encompass travel planning, booking, and spending. Alipay+ Voyager aims to support both consumers and merchants by simplifying these processes within digital wallets. Key features Among the central features highlighted at launch are intelligent end-to-end travel assistance, real-time connections to localised services such as public transport and dining, and proactive service curation. The AI platform is designed to anticipate users' preferences, provide relevant options in real time, and assist with issues such as flight delays or changes in conditions. For merchants and online travel agents (OTAs), the deployment across multiple major wallets can open access to large and diverse consumer markets through a single integration. The company states that its approach allows tailored engagement with travellers across every stage of their journey, while also supporting small and medium-sized businesses with digital tools for efficiency and growth. Partner perspectives Douglas Feagin, President of Ant International, said: Travellers today are using more tech to enhance their trips, and there is a need for the industry to adapt and meet these new and emerging expectations. By integrating a proactive, always-on AI travel companion within digital wallets that consumers already use frequently, we're empowering travel and wallet partners with new opportunities to engage travellers in a more relevant, personalised way, through every step of their journey. Gil Hazan, Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Agoda, commented: At Agoda, we are committed to making travel more accessible and seamless for everyone. By integrating our extensive supply network as one of Asia's leading online travel platforms with Alipay+ Voyager's expansive wallet partnerships, we can offer travellers a more convenient and personalized booking experience. This collaboration enables us to reach a broader audience and provide tailored travel solutions that cater to the diverse needs of today's travellers. Forward plans Ant International's Alipay+ Wallet Tech team has been collaborating with partners since 2015 to develop digital payment and security solutions. The company indicated intentions to build further agentic AI suites to serve different industries via its Alipay+ GenAI Cockpit platform. The ongoing expansion of Alipay+ Voyager to additional partners is expected throughout 2025, increasing its relevance for outbound travellers worldwide.
Business Wire
02-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Ant International Launches Alipay+ Voyager, a Built-in End-to-End AI Travel Companion for Digital Wallet and Super App Users
SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With launch partners including Agoda, Fliggy and Ant International introduces Alipay+ Voyager, an AI travel companion integrated into digital wallets for the travel industry to simplify and enhance travel experiences for global consumers. Alipay+ Voyager combines Ant International's agentic AI capabilities with the galaxy of cross-border travel services offered by OTA partners and 100 million global merchants in Alipay+'s partner ecosystem. Through its one single AI interface embedded in e-wallets and super apps, Alipay+ Voyager assists travellers, via text or voice in their local language, to complete itinerary planning, booking, and purchasing in-destination merchant offerings with a seamless flow. Alipay+ Voyager is first launched on three of Asia's biggest mobile wallets, Alipay (Chinese mainland), AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR, China) and GCash (the Philippines) ahead of the summer travel peak. It will roll out to more Alipay+ payment partners throughout 2025. Alipay+, started as a cross-border payment technology solution, now helping 36 leading e-wallets and payment apps with 1.7 billion consumer accounts connect to over 100 million merchants. The Alipay+ Wallet Tech team has been working with e-wallet partners in emerging markets to develop payment, security and growth capabilities and solutions since 2015. Today, the team plans to further build out other agentic AI suites for different industries on Alipay+ GenAI Cockpit, its main AI platform for fintechs. Driving Global Connectivity and Growth in the Merchant-Wallet-Consumer Ecosystem The online travel market is expected to grow 10% annually through 2032, with mobile already making up two-thirds of traffic 1. Travellers, especially Gen Zs, increasingly favour unique, hyperlocal experiences, using mobile-first, all-in-one solutions to uncover their best options. Alipay+ Voyager has a number of distinct features: Intelligent end-to-end assistance from one single hub in familiar wallets: research, decision and action support before, during and after the trip; Real-time global-to-local connections: seamless transitioning to local services like ride-hailing, public transport, shopping, dining and sightseeing; Purposeful, forward-looking curation: Voyager AI intuitively understands a user's preferences, proactively solves problems when there are issues such as flight delays or bad weather, and surfaces hyper-relevant options in real-time before a traveller even asks, all within their home e-wallet; A new growth gateway for merchants and OTAs: captures multiple core markets through one easy deployment across the largest regional and global e-wallets. 'Travellers today are using more tech to enhance their trips, and there is a need for the industry to adapt and meet these new and emerging expectations,' said Douglas Feagin, President of Ant International. 'By integrating a proactive, always-on AI travel companion within digital wallets that consumers already use frequently, we're empowering travel and wallet partners with new opportunities to engage travellers in a more relevant, personalised way, through every step of their journey.' Gil Hazan, Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, Agoda, said: 'At Agoda, we are committed to making travel more accessible and seamless for everyone. By integrating our extensive supply network as one of Asia's leading online travel platforms with Alipay+ Voyager's expansive wallet partnerships, we can offer travellers a more convenient and personalized booking experience. This collaboration enables us to reach a broader audience and provide tailored travel solutions that cater to the diverse needs of today's travellers.' About Ant International With headquarters in Singapore and main operations across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America, Ant International is a leading global digital payment, digitisation and financial technology provider. Through collaboration across the private and public sectors, our unified techfin platform supports financial institutions and merchants of all sizes to achieve inclusive growth through a comprehensive range of cutting-edge digital payment and financial services solutions. To learn more, please visit About Alipay+ Ant International's Alipay+ is a unified wallet gateway with cross-border payment and digitisation services that help connect global merchants to consumers. Consumers enjoy seamless payments, a broad choice of deals and the convenience of digital services using their preferred payment app/e-wallet while travelling abroad. Many small and medium-sized businesses already use Alipay+ digital tools to enhance efficiency and achieve omni-channel growth.
