Alipay grew from a Chinese checkout button into one of the world’s largest payment networks. By June 2020, it served over 1.3 billion users and 80 million merchants, the platform’s last broadly cited milestone. The bigger story in 2026 sits outside China: according to Ant International, its cross-border arm Alipay+ now links more than 1.8 billion user accounts across 40 international payment partners to merchants in more than 100 markets.
Key Takeaways
- Alipay served over 1.3 billion users and 80 million merchants as of June 2020, the platform’s last broadly cited milestone.
- Alipay holds, according to Statista, an online-payment market share of 54% in China, where the number of mobile-payment users reached 1,022 million.
- Alipay+ connects more than 1.8 billion user accounts across 40 international payment partners, up from 1.6 billion accounts across 35 partners in early 2025.
- Ant International serves more than 150 million merchants globally, 90% of which are SMEs.
- Ant International supported over 2 billion digital cross-border transactions in 2025 across its core emerging markets.
- Ant Group owns, according to Wikipedia, a 30% stake in the online bank MYbank and also operates the credit-payment service Huabei.
Editor’s Choice
- Alipay reported over 1.3 billion users as of June 2020.
- Alipay+ links more than 1.8 billion user accounts across its partner network.
- The platform connects, per Ant International, over 150 million global merchants with more than 2 billion user accounts globally.
- Ant International processes an average of over 20 million transactions daily.
- Ant Group reached a valuation of $60 billion by late January 2017.
- Ant International’s platform supports 300-plus payment methods in over 220 markets.
Recent Developments
- April 2026: Ant International now connects over 150 million global merchants with more than 2 billion user accounts globally, disclosed at MoMents 2026.
- April 2026: The company confirmed plans to introduce Alipay+ cross-border QR payments in 2026 with the Saudi Central Bank and national payment network mada.
- January 2026: Ant International reported it supported over 2 billion digital cross-border transactions in 2025 across emerging markets.
- January 2026: The company said its AI fraud engine achieved 95% precision in identifying high-risk transactions, and boosted payment success rates by as much as 13%.
- Late 2025: Ant International formed a strategic partnership with Mexican fintech R2 to expand SME lending in Latin America.
- January 2025: More than 90 million merchants leveraged Alipay+ for Chinese New Year travel.
Alipay User Statistics and Platform Scale
The Alipay statistics that draw the most searches center on its user base. Alipay’s headline user figure traces to mid-2020, when the platform reported over 1.3 billion users and 80 million merchants. That milestone reflects the China app at scale, before Ant Group restructured its international business under the Alipay+ banner. These Alipay vs WeChat Pay data comparisons show the two wallets dividing most of the domestic market.
- Alipay was founded in February 2004 in Hangzhou by Alibaba Group.
- The platform reported over 1.3 billion users as of June 2020.
- It served over 1.3 billion users and 80 million merchants at that same June 2020 milestone.
- Parent company Ant Group counted around 450 million annual active users as of 26 April 2016, showing the steep pre-2020 growth curve.
| Milestone | Figure | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Annual active users (Ant Group) | 450 million | April 2016 |
| Users (Alipay) | 1.3 billion | June 2020 |
| Merchants (Alipay) | 80 million | June 2020 |
| Ant Group valuation | $60 billion | January 2017 |
Source: Wikipedia
How many people are using Alipay?
Its most widely cited milestone came in June 2020, when Alipay reported over 1.3 billion users. The platform has not published a single consolidated global user figure since; its growth shifted into the Alipay+ partner network, where reach is counted in linked accounts rather than one app install base.
Alipay in China
Inside China, Alipay remains a dominant rail. It holds an online-payment market share of 54%, operating in a market where the number of mobile-payment users reached 1,022 million.
- Alipay holds a 54% share of China’s online-payment market.
- China counts 1,022 million mobile-payment users.
- Alipay and rival WeChat together turned China into a global leader in the digital-payment domain, a dynamic the WeChat user data traces from the messaging side.
How widely used is Alipay in China?
China’s online-payment market hands Alipay a 54% share. That base counts 1,022 million mobile-payment users. At that scale, Alipay functions less like an app and more like national payment infrastructure, sitting alongside WeChat Pay as one of two rails that most Chinese consumers touch daily. This domestic strength underwrites the company’s online payment ambitions abroad.
Ant International and Alipay Plus Global Reach
Ant International, the entity behind Alipay+, is where Alipay’s growth now concentrates. The company now connects over 150 million global merchants with more than 2 billion user accounts globally, as disclosed at its MoMents 2026 forum.
- Ant International connects over 150 million merchants worldwide.
- The network reaches more than 2 billion user accounts globally.
- Alipay+ links more than 1.8 billion user accounts across 40 international payment partners.
- The partner network spans more than 100 markets.
| Dimension | Figure |
|---|---|
| Linked user accounts | 1.8 billion |
| International payment partners | 40 |
| Markets served | 100-plus |
Source: Ant International
Cross-Border Transactions and Merchants
Cross-border volume is the clearest signal of Alipay+’s traction. Ant International supported over 2 billion digital cross-border transactions in 2025 across Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
- Ant International handled over 2 billion cross-border transactions in 2025.
- The platform averages over 20 million transactions daily.
- It serves more than 150 million merchants globally, 90% of which are SMEs.
| Cross-border metric | Figure | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-border transactions | 2 billion | 2025 |
| Average daily transactions | 20 million-plus | 2026 |
| Merchants served | 150 million-plus | 2026 |
| SME share of merchants | 90% | 2026 |
Source: Ant International
What percentage does Alipay take from merchants?
Alipay and Ant International do not publish a single global merchant fee, and none of the company’s disclosures state one. Merchant pricing varies by market, partner wallet, and transaction type across the Alipay+ network, so any single “Alipay fee” figure circulating online is not grounded in the company’s own reporting. What the company does disclose is breadth: more than 150 million merchants, 90% of them SMEs. These merchants reach customers through cross-border payments and in-store QR code-based payments.
Alipay Plus Wallet and Bank Partners
The Alipay+ partner network grew sharply across 2025 and into 2026. In early 2025, Alipay+ supported over 35 international wallet and bank payment partners, connecting their 1.6 billion user accounts to more than 90 million merchants in 66 markets. By early 2026, those figures had risen across every dimension.
- Partner count rose to 40 international payment partners by early 2026.
- Linked accounts grew to more than 1.8 billion.
- Market coverage expanded to more than 100 markets.
Many partners are regional wallets adopting Alipay+ to accept inbound travellers, like interoperable NFC-based payments in card markets.
Alipay Merchant Network and SME Concentration
The merchant side of the network is dominated by small businesses. Ant International serves more than 150 million merchants globally, 90% of which are SMEs. That SME concentration is the real distribution engine: rather than signing a handful of large retailers, Alipay+ expands by enrolling local merchants who want to accept the wallets that visiting tourists already carry.
- The network spans over 150 million merchants.
- SMEs make up 90% of those merchants.
- During Chinese New Year 2025, more than 90 million merchants leveraged Alipay+ for travel-related payments.
By the numbers: Ant International reported that more than 150 million merchants globally use its platform, with 90% being SMEs, and that it powered over 2 billion cross-border transactions in 2025. The figures show Alipay+ scaling through small-business enrolment.
AI Fraud Detection and Payment Success
Ant International leans on AI to keep its cross-border volume secure. The company reported its fraud engine has achieved 95% precision in identifying high-risk transactions, and boosted payment success rates by as much as 13%.
- The AI engine reached 95% precision on high-risk transactions.
- Payment success rates rose by as much as 13%.
| AI performance metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| High-risk transaction precision | 95% |
| Payment success uplift | up to 13% |
Source: Ant International
Regional Expansion: Middle East, Latin America, Europe
Ant International’s 2025 and 2026 expansion has been regional and partnership-led. In the Middle East, it collaborates with the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) and national payment network mada, with plans to introduce Alipay+ cross-border QR payments in 2026.
- In Latin America, Ant International formed a strategic partnership with Mexican fintech R2 in late 2025 to expand SME lending.
- In Europe, Alipay+ grew acceptance to more than 400,000 merchants, supporting interoperable payments via Bluecode.
- Globally, the platform now spans over 220 markets with 300-plus payment methods.
Key finding: Ant International disclosed it supports more than 300 payment methods across over 220 markets, including all card schemes, 50 mobile payment partners and more than 10 national QR systems such as Singapore’s SGQR and Malaysia’s DuitNow. The breadth underpins its interoperability claims.
Ant Group Ownership and Structure
Alipay sits inside Ant Group, which was founded on 16 October 2014 in Hangzhou by Jack Ma. The group operates several financial businesses beyond the wallet.
- Ant Group owns a 30% stake in the online bank MYbank.
- It also operates the credit-payment company Huabei.
- Ant Group reached a valuation of $60 billion by late January 2017.
| Ant Group entity / metric | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 16 October 2014, Hangzhou |
| MYbank stake | 30% |
| Credit-payment arm | Huabei |
| Valuation (Jan 2017) | $60 billion |
Source: Wikipedia
Alipay Milestones Timeline
Alipay’s two-decade arc runs from a single checkout tool to a global network. The platform was founded in February 2004 and reached over 1.3 billion users by June 2020.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2004 | Alipay founded in Hangzhou by Alibaba Group |
| 2014 | Ant Group (then Ant Financial) established |
| 2016 | Ant Group reaches around 450 million annual active users |
| 2020 | Alipay reports over 1.3 billion users, 80 million merchants |
| 2025 | Ant International powers over 2 billion cross-border transactions |
| 2026 | Ant International connects 150 million-plus merchants, 2 billion-plus accounts |
Source: Wikipedia, Ant International
Alipay Payment Methods and QR Interoperability
Ant International’s platform is built for breadth rather than a single rail. It supports 300-plus payment methods in over 220 markets, including all card schemes, 50 mobile payment partners and more than 10 national QR systems, among them Singapore’s SGQR and Malaysia’s DuitNow.
- The platform supports 300-plus payment methods.
- It spans over 220 markets.
- It integrates more than 10 national QR systems.
| Interoperability metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Payment methods | 300-plus |
| Markets | 220-plus |
| Mobile payment partners | 50 |
| National QR systems | 10-plus |
Source: Ant International
Alipay Daily Transaction Volume
On a daily basis, Ant International’s cross-border platform processes an average of over 20 million transactions daily. That run-rate covers only the cross-border layer; Alipay’s domestic China volume sits in a separate, far larger pool.
- Cross-border average runs over 20 million transactions daily.
- The platform reaches more than 2 billion user accounts globally.
Conclusion
The Alipay statistics above tell two stories. The China app still anchors the brand, with over 1.3 billion users reported in 2020 and a 54% online-payment market share at home. The growth, though, has moved outward: Alipay+ now links more than 1.8 billion user accounts across 40 partners and powered over 2 billion cross-border transactions in 2025.
For anyone tracking global payments, the figure to watch is not Alipay’s China user count, but Ant International’s partner and merchant network, where SME enrolment and regional QR interoperability deals in the Middle East, Latin America and Europe will decide how far the platform’s 2 billion-account reach extends through 2026 and beyond.
