Ant International raises $1.2bn to fund its payments push beyond China

This article was published on July 21, 2026 The Ant Group affiliate drew fresh backing from Alibaba and its parent as it chases cross-border merchant payments across Asia, Europe, and the Gulf. Ant International, the overseas affiliate of Chinese fintech group Ant Group, has raised about $1.2 billion in a fresh equity round to fund its expansion into markets beyond its home turf. The company confirmed the raise, describing it as capital to speed up international growth and deepen its work in merchant payments, account management, and financial services for businesses. The Singapore-based business was carved out of Jack Ma’s Ant Group in 2024 to run independently, and it now houses the group’s payments ambitions outside China, where domestic rivals are racing to build agentic commerce tools and stitch together cross-border payments. Existing backers Ant Group and Alibaba Group took part in the round, alongside several international institutional investors whose names were not disclosed. The company carried a valuation of roughly $10 billion going into the raise, a figure Ant International itself did not confirm. The money is earmarked for the four units that make up the business. Al