Singtel launches VIA cross-border mobile payment alliance

Singtel and Thai mobile affiliate AIS have jointly launched a cross-border mobile payment alliance known as VIA, introducing Singapore-Thailand cross border mobile payments in collaboration with Thailand’s Kasikornbank.

Through the collaboration, Singtel and AIS will offer QR code based mobile payments through their respective mobile wallets – Singtel Dash, as well as AIS Global Pay and Rabbit Line Play.

The service can be used at all merchants displaying the new VIA brand as well as the more than 1.6 million Kasikornbank merchants displaying the Thai QR Code.

Singtel said the VIA Alliance in the first cross-border initiative to connect both telco and non-telco mobile wallets.

The alliance will be progressively expanded to include more of Singtel’s regional associates, including Airtel in India, Globe Telecom and the Philippines and Telkomsel in Indonesia, as well as more non-telco partners such as China’s Ping An Insurance Group.

“This is a game changer for the Singtel Group and the region. The VIA alliance is aimed at unifying Asia’s fragmented payments scene by connecting different mobile wallet systems across the region. As more people travel around the region, we want them to be able to enjoy the ease and familiarity of using their local mobile wallets abroad,” Singtel International CEO Arthur Lang said.

“VIA will enhance the payment experience for millions of consumers including our Group’s customer base of more than 700 million. We see a tremendous opportunity to drive the adoption of mobile payments which supports ASEAN’s push towards financial inclusion and vision of a single digital market.”