Eric Jing Chairman and CEO of Ant Group Alipay
A s a global gold standard for super-app transformation, Alipay has outgrown its origins as a payment utility for the Alibaba Group to become a massive ecosystem integrating financial, consumer and social functions. Alipay uses AI technology for precision marketing, analysing user consumption and financial data to provide targeted services to both merchants and consumers.
Alipay can credit its sophisticated mobile-first payment infrastructure to the fact it was able to leapfrog over the traditional card-payment era, moving an entire economy directly from cash to smartphones using ubiquitous QR-code technology. The platform now serves more than a billion users, processing trillions in annual transaction volume
by integrating financial services like micro-lending and wealth management directly into its payment interface.
“ We have been the proudest when mobile payment becomes part of everyone’ s everyday life because of our work – when small businesses enjoy quality financial services just like giant conglomerates, when digital life blooms everywhere, all the time, at everyone’ s fingertip,” Eric Jing, Chairman and CEO of Ant Group, said at the 20th birthday of Alipay and Ant Group.
This vision extends to its latest innovations in AI Pay, where the platform uses natural language commands and smart devices to automate complex retail transactions, ensuring that payment remains a seamless by product of the consumer’ s lifestyle.
80 May 2026