On 30 October 2025, the Bank of Thailand (BOT) officially launched a cross-border QR payment system connecting Thai banks with Alipay, UnionPay, and WeChat Pay in China.
🧾 Key Highlights
- Purpose: To support bilateral trade, investment, and tourism between Thailand and China.
- Functionality: Chinese tourists in Thailand can now scan Thai QR Codes using their domestic apps (Alipay, UnionPay, WeChat Pay) to pay Thai merchants.
- Thai Banks Participating:
- Active: Bangkok Bank, Krungthai Bank, Kasikornbank, Siam Commercial Bank, ICBC (Thai), BAAC
- Coming soon: Bank of Ayudhya, Government Savings Bank, HSBC, TMBThanachart Bank
- Technical Backbone: Managed by National ITMX (NITMX) and Thai settlement banks (Bangkok Bank and Krungthai Bank).
- Tourism Impact: In 2024, 8.8 million tourists traveled between Thailand and China, highlighting the system’s relevance.
- Regional Expansion: BOT has extended similar collaborations to nine jurisdictions, promoting digital payments across Asia.
Starting 30 October 2025, users in China can utilize Alipay, UnionPay, and WeChat Pay to scan Thai QR Codes displayed by merchants partnered with Bangkok Bank, Krungthai Bank, KasikornBank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Thai), Siam Commercial Bank, and the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Co-operatives. Additional banks are expected to join soon.
This initiative reflects Thailand’s push toward a secure, efficient, and cost-effective digital economy, especially in tourism-heavy sectors.
Source : Launch of the Cross-border QR Payment Linkage between Thailand and China
