Alipay+ simplifies the payment experience for tourists visiting China

Check out our top articles for the week. [Read from your browser]( Top Stories of the Week Welcome to Tech in Asia's free Sunday newsletter! Get full access to our subscribers-only premium content and other insightful analysis on the big and messy topics of Asia’s tech and startup community by [registering here](. Hello {NAME} Visiting China as a tourist has never been easier. I learned that last month while on a short trip to Hangzhou. I took a leap of faith not bringing along any cash, even as a backup, and it turns out I didn’t have to worry. Across the city, merchants - from those in malls to nondescript roadside stalls - display QR codes accepting digital payments. It’s a testament to the country’s high digital adoption. But the pervasiveness of mobile payments was also once a major pain point and deterrent for foreign visitors, who couldn’t access the country’s two main mobile payment methods, Alipay and Wechat Pay. Now, tourists can. As part of a [major expansion of Ant Group’s Alipay+ solution]( users of e-wallets like Touch ‘n Go, TrueMoney, OCBC, and seven other platforms can use their domestic payment apps to pay tens of millions of merchants across the country. While this offers a glimpse into the future, not all transitions will be as seamless. A Luckin coffee store I visited, for instance, had no physical menus on display. Instead, over a dozen cups were lined up on the counters for customers who had ordered them online via the store’s mini programs. In Singapore, it’s hard to imagine consumers doing the same and going fully digital. The option to order in advance for pick-up is great, and food delivery apps here do have such options, but I, for one, think that menus at cafes and bubble tea stores - and physical ordering in general - still have a place for years to come. -- [Melissa Goh]( journalist at Tech in Asia  --------------------------------------------------------------- TOP STORIES THIS WEEK 1️. [Alipay+ kicks off major expansion around Asian Games, betting on inbound tourists]( The expansion is Alipay+’s single largest push to grow its cross-border solution since its launch in 2020. 2. [TikTok Shop ban in Indonesia: Who is it really protecting?]( The country's ecommerce ecosystem is pondering its next moves in the aftermath of this regulatory setback. 3. [LinkAja reaches profitability despite fall in users as new strategies take off]( The Indonesian fintech firm is taking advantage of its affiliation with state-owned companies to rise in the B2B space. 4. [Grab + Foodpanda=food delivery market dominance]( Grab is already the dominant player in several key markets in the region and snapping up its competitor’s business would be the icing on top. 5. [Harassment, bankruptcy, debts, and lawsuits: Where does Moovaz go from here?]( Vishnu Vasudeven, the relocation firm’s founder, has been involved in multiple court cases and ordered to pay at least S$84,681 to staff and vendors. 6. [Nansen’s 2022 revenue jumps by 5x but swings to loss after profitable year]( The revenue surge comes after the blockchain analysis firm gained more subscribers by expanding its services to include crypto businesses in 2022. 7. [Indonesian startups work to clear the air as pollution grips capital city]( As pollution levels in Jakarta soared, air monitoring app Nafas saw a 400% surge in the number of users within just two weeks. 8. [Takeaways from Singapore’s landmark SPAC deal and its target company, 17Live]( The livestreaming firm says that its businesses will have a total addressable market of US$18 billion by 2027. 9. [Tada parent firm MVL posts over 300% jump in revenue, moves closer to profitability]( The South Korean blockchain startup narrowed its annual loss by 45% in 2022, while revenue from its mobility and delivery services tripled. 10. [BukuWarung’s losses swell 33% in 2022]( The Indonesia-based fintech firm logged just shy of US$1 million in revenue for the period, though it only started monetizing its services last year. --------------------------------------------------------------- WHO'S HIRING  You can post a job [here]( or search for jobs [here](. 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