Kazakhstan just became Central Asia’s first country to go live with Alipay+ cross-border QR payments, thanks to a new expansion of Ant International’s partnership with Kaspi.kz, the nation’s dominant super app.

Travellers using any of 12 Alipay+-enabled e-wallets or banking apps can now scan and pay via Kaspi QR—which covers the widest merchant network in the country, from big-city malls and restaurants to medical clinics and even corner shops in remote villages.

Tourism Meets Payments at Scale

The timing is hard to ignore: the country welcomed a record 7.5 million international visitors in the first half of 2025, with China, Germany, and South Korea ranking among its top inbound markets. For those travellers, Alipay+ integration means paying for everything from souvenirs to hospital visits without hunting for currency exchange booths.

For local merchants, it’s a direct plug-in to an international customer base—without having to overhaul point-of-sale systems.

From Outbound to Inbound

The move builds on a partnership launched in April 2024 that let Kazakhstani travellers use the Kaspi.kz app abroad in destinations ranging from China and Japan to Italy and France. Now, the payment flow runs both ways.

“We’re strengthening our partnership for both inbound and outbound mobile payments,” said Edward Yue, GM for SEA, South Asia & ANZ at Ant International. “As more people seek culturally rich destinations, we’ll continue to connect our global partners to local businesses.”

Kaspi.kz CEO Mikhail Lomtadze added that the expanded integration “makes travel to Kazakhstan more convenient” while supporting economic growth.

The Bigger Network Play

Alipay+ already links 1.7 billion user accounts from 36 payment partners to more than 100 million merchants in 70 markets. Adding Kazakhstan’s vast Kaspi QR footprint gives the platform an early mover advantage in a region poised for both tourism and digital payment adoption growth.

For a country investing heavily in tourism infrastructure, the move positions Kazakhstan not just as a destination, but as a digitally seamless one.