Changi Airport Group launches integrated QR payment platform

Changi Airport Group has collaborated with Liquid Group to roll out the integrated acceptance of multiple major QR payment apps by merchants located across all four terminals. The integrated payment platform by Liquid Group will allow retailers at Changi Airport to accept e-wallets such as GrabPay, Liquid Pay, Singtel Dash, Ezi Wallet and PayNow QR bank payment apps, as well as international payment app partners such as WeChat Pay, UnionPay and Alipay. The platform also enables Changi Airport to launch multiple marketing campaigns with participating payment apps without the need for additional cashier training or verification during checkout. This provides for a frictionless user experience. The new payment platform will be rolled out in phases, with the first phase slated to commence in the first half of 2019. Teo Chew Hoon, group senior vice president of Changi Airport Group said the launch of this integrated QR payment platform not only provides a “frictionless payment experience”, but also “more partnership opportunities with local and overseas e-wallet issuers”. The platform will “improve its tenant’s productivity” in areas such as staff training, reporting, and settlement for QR payments as well. E-wallet partners are optimistic about the launch of the integrated QR payment platform. In a press release, the Southeast Asia team at WeChat Pay said that they are “excited and proud” to be part of this collaboration, believing this integrated QR payment platform will enable the merchants at Changi Airport “gain greater access to billions users” active on WeChat. Gilbert Chuah, head of mCommerce at Singtel also said that this initiative is a “perfect fit” for its mobile payment Singtel Dash as the company “continues to expand” its VIA cross-border mobile payment alliance and “connect more merchants to travellers”. With the integrated QR payment platform, overseas customers that are part of VIA can “enjoy the ease, familiarity and convenience” of using their local wallets at Changi Airport. “The use of QR Code for payments is gaining momentum in Singapore and all across Asia. According to The Future of Payments Study conducted by UnionPay International and Nielsen last year, QR was the most widely-adopted mobile payment method among Singapore consumers, with two-thirds of Singaporeans having used it at least once in the past three months,” said Wenhui Yang, general manager, UnionPay International Southeast Asia. “With the integrated QR and Marketing Platform for merchants at all Changi Airport terminals, we believe that more travellers and Singaporeans alike will get to enjoy greater convenience and ease of payments with UnionPay QR Code, to further heighten their shopping experience at the world’s best airport,” she added. This initiative is also in line with the Government’s Smart Nation objective to provide an open, accessible and interoperable national e-payment infrastructure, as well as the adoption of SGQR as the single, standardised QR code for e-payments in Singapore. Jeremy Tan, founder and CEO of Liquid Group said: “Promoting the interoperability of mobile payment services is a fundamental part of advancing a cashless society. We are delighted to roll out the largest open QR payment platform at Changi Airport, which provides a unified point-of-sale for the wide range of QR payment apps available. Our vision is to expand this network across the region and create a cross-border platform to facilitate large-scale QR payment transactions and accelerate the adoption of QR payment apps.”