Riyadh - Sharikat Mubasher: Barq, a fast-growing financial company in Saudi Arabia, formed a strategic partnership with Alipay+, Ant International’s unified wallet gateway, to launch global cross-border QR payments.

Through this partnership, barq users will be able to scan-and-pay with their mobile device at Alipay+ enabled merchants outside of the Kingdom, in more than 220 markets globally, the company revealed in a press release today.

Barq’s users will be connected to a global ecosystem of dining, retail, transportation, healthcare, and more when they travel abroad to popular destinations in the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and the United Kingdom. The service is set to launch progressively for barq users starting in May 2026.

Commenting on this milestone, Ahmed Alenazi, CEO and Founder of barq, said: “This collaboration enables our customers to pay globally with the same simplicity they experience locally, setting a new benchmark for Saudi fintech and accelerating our vision of connecting users to the global economy.”

On the other hand, Pietro Candela, General Manager of EMEA for Alipay+ emphasized Ant International’s commitment to driving cross-border flows, SME digital inclusion, and co-innovation with local partners to accelerate the Kingdom’s digital transformation.

The partnership aims to accelerate the development of digital payments in line with the Vision 2030 initiative, which prioritizes establishing a cashless society and implementing a digital and modern payment infrastructure in the Kingdom.