Ant International raises $1.2B in Series A round

Ant International, the Singapore-headquartered global arm of Jack Ma-backed Ant Group, has completed a Series A financing round of approximately $1.2 billion to fuel its expansion in cross-border payments and artificial intelligence-enabled commerce.

The Deal

The company announced on Tuesday that existing investors, including parent company Ant Group and Alibaba Group ↘ 2.44%, participated in the round alongside several international investment institutions. The fresh capital will be used to accelerate global expansion, strengthen innovation across merchant payment and account management offerings, and invest in AI technology.bbx+2

According to Bloomberg, the financing will support Ant International's operations serving small and medium-sized enterprises with payment, account management, and other financial services. The company, which supported over 2 billion digital cross-border transactions in 2025 for merchants in emerging markets, has been steadily building out partnerships to extend its reach.bloomberg+1

Argentina QR Payment Expansion

Days before the funding announcement, Ant International's Alipay+ digital payment gateway revealed a partnership with Latin American fintech firm PVS to integrate with Argentina's national QR payment scheme, Transferencias 3.0. The integration will enable global travellers to make QR code payments at millions of merchants across Argentina.morningstar+1

Transferencias 3.0 is Argentina's interoperable instant payment infrastructure developed by the Central Bank of Argentina, supporting real-time account-to-account payments through QR codes across banks and digital wallets. Alipay+ had previously partnered with PVS in May 2026 to launch cross-border mobile payment services in Argentina and Chile.finextra+1

Broader Ambitions

The Series A marks a milestone for Ant International as it builds out what it describes as a unified techfin platform for financial institutions and merchants. The company has pursued an aggressive partnership strategy in 2026, including a memorandum of understanding with Thailand's KASIKORNBANK to develop cross-border payment and liquidity management infrastructure.financeinterviews

The fundraising comes as Ant Group's broader restructuring continues to take shape, with Ant International operating as the vehicle for the company's overseas growth ambitions in digital payments, financial services, and increasingly, AI-driven commerce solutions.