2016年CRI Alipay to Expand into European Markets

 

Alibaba has announced the planned European launch of Alipay at the just-concluded financial services event Money 20/20 in Copenhagen.

Beginning this summer, users will be able to make payments through the Alipay app in France, Germany, Italy and the UK.

Lu Jun with Alibaba says in addition to serving as a payment option, Alipay can also help Chinese tourists plan their trips while abroad.

"Before when people traveled aboard, they usually had a hard time finding local points of interest. Now when they open Alipay, they can easily find recommendations on restaurants, sights and other places to visit. While shopping, they can also use Alipay to make payments, or even receive discounts. The vendors² can also use Alipay to promote themselves and reach more Chinese customers."

Alibaba hasn't said which local businesses in Europe will accept Alipay, as negotiations³ are still underway.

The move marks Alipay's biggest expansion out of Asia so far.

Alibaba started moving Alipay into the global market in 2014.

It's now available for use at some 60-thousand businesses outside the Chinese mainland.

Lu Jun says Alipay has already built an impressive network in Asia.

"In South Korea alone, around 30,000 shops and businesses accept Alipay. In Seoul's famous Myeongdong commercial district, most vendors now accept the app. In Japan, our partners include a number of large shopping malls, electronics and appliance stores, as well as convenience stores like 7-Elevens. We also work with some duty-free shops in Thailand, and the Universal Studios theme parks in Singapore. "

Alibaba expects a total of one-million vendors outside the mainland to begin accepting Alipay within the next three years.

The company is ramping⁴ up its services outside the mainland to try to keep up with the growing number of Chinese people travelling abroad.

Last year, around 120 million Chinese traveled to foreign destinations.

The World Travel & Tourism Council estimates Chinese tourists spent around 215 billion US dollars abroad, doubling their spending from the year before.

Alipay is launching in Europe in partnership⁵ with Wirecard, an IT provider for payment processing.

Wirecard Executive Vice¹ President Susanne Steidl says mobile payments have a bright future.

"Everything is focusing on a mobile phone. All additional gadgets⁶ will be reduced. No more cameras, and in the future, also no more credit cards, no more cash. All will be focused within the mobile phone, which is more convenient for the customer; it's safer for the customers. And it gives more transparency to the customer because he sees all the transactions and his available money, all on his phone, without having to logon to 20 different websites. "

Alibaba says its payment app currently processes 170 million transactions per day worldwide.

For CRI, I'm Victor Ning.

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

3 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

4 ramping   

土堤斜坡( ramp的现在分词 )； 斜道； 斜路； （装车或上下飞机的）活动梯

参考例句：

• The children love ramping about in the garden. 孩子们喜欢在花园里追逐嬉戏，闹着玩。
• Have you ever seen a lion ramping around? 你看到过狮子暴跳吗？

5 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

6 gadgets   

n.小机械，小器具（ gadget的名词复数 ）

参考例句：

• Certainly. The idea is not to have a house full of gadgets. 当然。设想是房屋不再充满小配件。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
• This meant more gadgets and more experiments. 这意味着要设计出更多的装置，做更多的实验。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史