Rebecca PY MALAYSIA, 28 OCTOBER 2026 – Hong Leong Bank Berhad has established a strategic alliance with UnionPay International to enhance international transaction access for Malaysian travellers, overseas professionals, and business owners.
Through UnionPay International integration with Weixin Pay, the arrangement enables Hong Leong Bank account holders to make instant QR payments at more than 120 million merchant touchpoints across Mainland China, alongside participating retailers in Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, and Thailand. Users can complete purchases directly via HLB QR Pay on the HLB Connect mobile application, eliminating the need to set up separate regional payment accounts or manually top up external e-wallets.
The capability integrates directly with multi-currency functions on the HLB Pay&Save Account. This framework allows customers to convert funds into foreign currencies such as offshore Chinese Yuan in advance, locking in competitive exchange rates while avoiding additional transaction overheads.
Hong Leong Bank Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Kevin Lam noted that cross-border commerce relies fundamentally on reciprocal trust, ensuring shoppers enjoy guaranteed payment execution and retailers receive immediate settlement. He stated that collaborating with UnionPay International delivers the requisite technical scale, certainty, and network depth to extend trusted domestic banking convenience to overseas destinations.
UnionPay International Vice President Carlson Li highlighted that interoperability across distinct financial platforms provides direct real-world utility for cardholders. He pointed out that bringing a broader international merchant base straight into a native banking interface simplifies cross-border expenditures and strengthens regional economic integration.
Hong Leong Bank Managing Director of Personal Financial Services Andrew Jong explained that evolving digital capabilities have transformed how consumers spend abroad, making flexible, reliable payment methods essential. He affirmed that the UnionPay initiative marks an important milestone in providing Malaysian consumers with comprehensive, frictionless payment alternatives wherever their journeys take them.
The expanded service suite supports both customer-presented and merchant-presented QR code modes, card linkages to major Chinese digital superapps, traditional credit and debit card transactions, as well as integrated mobile payments through platforms including Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google Pay.