Customers will be able to scan Weixin Pay (WeChat Pay) QRs, adding to the OCBC app’s existing Alipay+ and UnionPay QR capabilities.

Singapore, 1 December 2025 – OCBC will become the first Singapore bank to enable customers to scan-and-pay all merchant QRs in China through its Singapore mobile banking app. This capability stems from an expanded partnership with UnionPay International, formalised on 28 November in Shanghai. The partnership leverages NETS infrastructure to support payments to merchants that accept Weixin Pay (WeChat Pay), complementing the OCBC app’s existing ability to scan and pay Alipay+ and UnionPay merchant QR codes. This Weixin Pay capability will be ready in Q1 2026.

This feature is expected to benefit OCBC Singapore customers travelling to China, where QR-based cashless payments dominate daily life – from hailing taxis to dining out. They simply need to scan and pay any Weixin Pay, Alipay+ or UnionPay merchant QR code to make payments. These payments are debited directly from customers’ OCBC Singapore accounts, eliminating the need to download and fund third-party apps or queue for currency exchange. Customers enjoy competitive, real-time exchange rates with no additional fees, ensuring seamless and secure transactions at every merchant in China.

Already, OCBC’s Scan & Pay feature has seen increased adoption, with payment volumes up 11% year-on-year and active users up 67%. China is the leading destination for these QR payments, where OCBC Singapore customers use the feature to pay for dining, attractions, and shopping purchases across duty-free items, furniture and jewellery. This coincides with a sharp rebound in travel demand for China. Arrivals from Singapore more than doubled in 2024, rising from 260,000 in 2023 to an estimated 535,000, according to Oxford Economics.

Mr Sunny Quek, Head of Global Consumer Financial Services, OCBC, said: “QR payments are the norm in China and have been for some time now. For customers who travel there, our goal is to enable them to pay like a local. Thanks to our existing partnership with UnionPay International, our customers will be able to pay Weixin Pay-enabled merchants on the OCBC app come Q1 2026. This is in addition to our existing Alipay+ and UnionPay QR capabilities, enabling universal QR acceptance across China – from flagship retailers to local vendors. Beyond China, our Scan & Pay feature also connects to QR payment networks across 48 countries, giving OCBC app users the most comprehensive QR payment coverage.”

Besides payments to merchants, the OCBC App is also able to support peer-to peer transfers to eight leading digital wallets across Southeast Asia. Customers can also already send money directly to friends and family in China using the pay-to-wallet feature for Weixin Pay and Alipay+.