Hong Leong Bank partners with UnionPay International for improved Cross-Border Payment Connectivity

Hong Leong Bank (HLB) has finalized a partnership with UnionPay International (“UPI”) to enhance cross-border payment access for customers traveling and doing business outside Malaysia. This partnership, under the theme “Connecting Borders, Commerce, Ties, and Horizons,” shows how HLB and payment networks can make overseas payments easier and safer, fostering closer links between individuals and businesses in different markets.

By using UPI’s network with Weixin Pay, HLB customers can easily pay at over 120 million merchants in China, as well as in Hong Kong, Macao, and Thailand. They can shop at department stores or local stalls and pay directly with HLB QR Pay on HLB Connect. This feature works well with HLB’s multi-currency features on the HLB Pay&Save Account, helping customers secure good exchange rates and avoid using third-party apps and wallet top-ups.

According to Kevin Lam, HLB’s Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, “Our customers take us beyond Malaysia through the businesses they build, the family ties they maintain, and the opportunities they pursue. We want them to have the same confidence paying overseas as they do at home.”

“At its core, a cross-border payment only works when trust exists on both sides of the transaction where customers know with certainty that their payment will go through, and merchants trust that they will receive it. Backed by over a century of heritage and innovation in cross-border payments in the community, our priority is ensuring that trust holds wherever our customers go. Partnering with UPI and tapping into their vast international network, including Weixin Pay, allows us to deliver that scale and certainty globally.”

Carlson Li, Vice President of UPI, commented, “Our partnership with HLB demonstrates how interoperability can connect different payment ecosystems to deliver practical benefits for customers, where HLB customers can now access a wider merchant network directly from their banking app, making cross-border payments more convenient and supporting commerce between markets. We look forward to building on this partnership to extend payment accessibility, connect more customers and merchants, and create further opportunities for collaboration across the region.”

Driven by rapid digital innovation, cross-border payments have expanded well beyond conventional cards and currency exchange, giving consumers more versatile, frictionless ways to transact internationally. 

Underscoring the Bank’s focus on customer-centric digital solutions, Andrew Jong, HLB’s Managing Director of Personal Financial Services, said, “Digital innovation has fundamentally changed how people move and spend money abroad, unlocking greater convenience and flexibility than ever before. We recognise that customers have different payment preferences and needs when travelling across markets. Our focus is on ensuring our solutions remain relevant to those dynamic needs, giving customers true choice, security, and continuity wherever they go. This partnership with UPI is a key milestone in how we leverage innovations and ecosystem partners to expand our suite of cross-border payment capabilities.”

HLB offers many ways for customers to make payments overseas. You can:

• Scan QR codes from participating merchants
• Show an in-app QR code for merchants to scan
• Link eligible HLB cards to superapps in China like Weixin Pay
• Make payments using credit and debit cards
• Use mobile wallets like Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google Pay

The Bank will keep working on international partnerships to improve payment options and support customers as they grow in different markets.

For more information, please visit: www.hlb.com.my/UnionPayQR