Google Play Integrates K PLUS: A First for SEA Banking Apps
In a regional first, Google Play has added K PLUS—a mobile banking app from Thailand’s KASIKORNBANK—as a direct payment option, giving 14 million Android users in Thailand a new way to buy apps, games, and digital content using their everyday banking platform.
This move makes K PLUS the first Southeast Asian mobile banking app to be accepted as a payment method on Google Play. The partnership is powered by Antom, the payments arm of Ant International, which is also introducing recurring billing capabilities via a mobile banking app for the first time.
A Local Win With Global Implications
This integration isn’t just a nod to local convenience—it’s a strategic play that reflects the broader momentum of digital payment localization in Asia Pacific. The region now accounts for nearly two-thirds of global digital wallet spending, according to Deloitte. With digital content consumption surging, enabling mobile-first, bank-linked payment options is no longer a luxury—it’s table stakes.
Antom, which has helped roll out similar integrations like DANA, GCash, and Touch ‘n Go eWallet since 2022, is expanding Google Play’s payment reach through what it calls a unified merchant service layer. Its infrastructure supports over 300 payment methods in 100+ currencies, giving developers and digital merchants plug-and-play access to a sprawling global user base.
More Than Just Payments
In addition to enabling seamless transactions, Antom is also backing Google Play’s user acquisition strategy through A+ Rewards, a privacy-focused in-app marketing engine. Embedded in leading e-wallets across Asia, A+ Rewards has helped drive over 20 million Google Play voucher redemptions over the past two years.
This dual focus—payments plus performance marketing—gives Antom and Google Play a two-pronged advantage in the crowded mobile app ecosystem: frictionless monetization and built-in user engagement.
For Google, this is about tightening its grip on Southeast Asia’s exploding digital economy. For KASIKORNBANK, it’s a landmark moment—becoming the first SEA bank to power Google Play payments directly via mobile banking.
“With this launch, we hope Thai consumers can purchase games, apps, entertainment and digital content more easily through safe, fast, and seamless transactions,” said Zulfi Rahardian, Head of Google Play Retail & Payments Activation for Southeast Asia.
Meanwhile, KASIKORNBANK is aiming to link over one million user accounts to Google Play through K PLUS by the end of 2025. That’s a sizable chunk of its existing 14 million Android users and a promising sign of just how integrated banking apps are becoming in daily digital life.
“Payment localisation isn’t just about convenience. It’s about building the infrastructure for digital inclusion,” said Gary Liu, GM of Antom.
This collaboration also signals a deepening partnership between Google and Ant International—one that’s likely to expand beyond Thailand as more markets embrace mobile-native banking and AI-powered transaction systems.
