Axiata Digital joins Singtel’s cross-border m-payment alliance

Singtel Group and Malaysia's Axiata Digital have signed an agreement to collaborate in the areas of mobile financial and digital services to promote the growth of the ASEAN digital economy.

Under the agreement, Axiata Digital will join Singtel's cross-border mobile payment alliance VIA, expanding the alliance's footprint beyond Singapore and Thailand to Malaysia.

Axiata Digital operates the Boost Malaysia mobile wallet, which as 3.7 million customers and 66,000 merchant points across the nation.

In addition, the Singtel Group's Open Platform payment gateway will partner with Axiata Digital's API platform to enable cross-sharing of product portfolios.

Both parties have also agreed to jointly promote and drive cross-border payments and to explore collaboration around rewards and loyalty programs.

VIA was launched in October with Thai partners AIS and Kasikornbank. AIS is one of Singtel's regional mobile associates. Singtel group plans to expand the VIA initiative to cover other associates Bharti Airtel in India, Globe in the Philippines, and Telkomsel in Indonesia.

“We are delighted to welcome Boost Malaysia on board the VIA alliance, which gives us presence in an important new market. This shows the tremendous potential for us to grow cross-border mobile payments even beyond the countries where Singtel's regional associates operate,” Singtel CEO Arthur Lang commented.

“VIA's continued expansion will provide consumers with the ease and convenience of using one mobile wallet to pay across multiple regional markets as they travel. We look forward to more partners joining VIA.”