Building on its long-term partnership with Tencent Holdings Limited, the official developer of WeChat, Network International (Network), the leading enabler of digital commerce across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, is offering WeChat Pay acceptance on its POS terminals across the UAE enabling Chinese visitors to transact seamlessly, safely and securely via their WeChat Pay mobile wallet.
WeChat Pay is currently accepted at 5,000 Network payment terminals across the UAE –
including in over 400 outlets at prominent malls within Dubai forming part of Network’s extensive merchant partner ecosystem. Network is in the process of activating WeChat Pay in all its Android-powered terminals.
The addition of WeChat Pay to Network’s acceptance offerings is in line with the company’s commitment to position itself as a differentiator by continuously making new and relevant propositions available to merchant partners to meet the needs of their customers.
The UAE’s tourism sector has made a strong comeback putting the country on track to become the world’s most visited international destination by the end of 2023. Over the past decade, China has ranked among the top-five source markets for Dubai. Data from Dubai Economy and Tourism (DET) indicates that the number of Chinese visitors to Dubai reached 177,000 in 2022, up 131 per cent from 2021¹.
Being the UAE’s largest merchant acquirer, Network has over 200,000 POS terminals across thousands of merchants spread over sectors including high-end retail, hospitality, transport and supermarkets among others, that stand to benefit from this unique acceptance method. WeChat Pay offers immense opportunities for the UAE’s retail and hospitality sectors amidst the resurgence of Chinese visitors.
Pankaj Kundra, Group Head of Products, Partnerships and Enterprises at Network International, said, “We are delighted to offer Chinese customers their preferred payment method, WeChat Pay, across POS terminals at leading merchant outlets in the country. The UAE is among the top travel destinations for Chinese visitors and the availability of a trusted and familiar payment option at popular shopping establishments will enable Chinese shoppers to make payments seamlessly. Network has enabled WeChat Pay at over 5,000 terminals across the UAE and we look forward to covering our entire network soon.”
He added, “This partnership is in line with Network’s commitment to boost the UAE’s payment ecosystem by making new payment methods available to UAE merchants through collaborations with prominent international businesses.”
Jeff Hu, General Manager, WeChat Pay EMEA, said, “WeChat Pay has always been committed to providing safe and convenient payment experiences for Chinese tourists. This collaboration further expands the application of mobile payments in the UAE, allowing Chinese tourists to enjoy the same convenient mobile payment experience as in China when traveling to the UAE.”
