AIS, Singtel team up for mobile payment alliance    

The cross-border payment platform is now officially active for both Thai and Singaporean customers travelling between the two countries.
“The VIA alliance is aimed at unifying Asia’s fragmented payment systems by connecting different mobile wallets across the region,” said Arthur Lang, CEO of Singtel’s International Group. 
“The current problem with mobile wallets is that there are so many of them targeting the same market. So Singtel and AIS are working together to differentiate ourselves to our local customers,” he said. 
In 2017, there were more than 80 million tourist arrivals across the Singtel Group’s markets in Asia. Of this, over 1.5 million visitors travelled between Singapore and Thailand, and numbers are expected to grow steadily. 
“This partnership offers Thais a seamless digital payment experience at home and abroad, and adds a new dimension which will take the cashless society to the next level,” says Somchai Lertsutiwong, the AIS chief executive. 
AIS and Singtel are promising a transparent and secure way to use their mobile wallets to pay in their home currencies at competitive exchange rates when in Singapore and Thailand. As for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), VIA offers a cheaper alternative to adopting credit or debit card payment systems, Arthur added. 
The VIA service will be accessible to more than 42 million LINE chat users in Thailand. 
Thais who are travelling to Singapore can now use the Rabbit Line Pay application to purchase a wide range of products and services in Singapore from up to 20,000 shops including KFC, Pizza Hut, Breadtalk, taxi rides and 7-Eleven.
When in Thailand, Singaporean customers can now use the Singtel Dash mobile application to purchase various goods and services including popular shopping areas such as CentralWorld, Chatuchak Weekend Market, MBK Centre and JJ Mall. 
Thailand now has up to 1.6 million shops accepting Singtel Dash payments. To make purchases, customers can simply scan the merchant’s QR code or let merchants scan their unique QR code in the Singtel Dash or Rabbit Line Pay app. 
“Customers from other mobile network operators will also be able to benefit from the VIA platform as long as they have a LINE chat account. In making Thailand a cashless society, it is no longer necessary to hold back the VIA platform from customers who are currently subscribed to other mobile network operators,” Somchai said.