Ant Group's ASEAN expansion comes at right time: regional head

Alibaba fintech affiliate bets on global markets to counter restrictions at home

20220907 Ant Group

Jia Hang was appointed as Ant Group’s general manager for Southeast Asia in March after joining the group’s international business in 2015. (Source photos by Tsubasa Suruga)

TSUBASA SURUGA, Nikkei staff writer

SINGAPORE -- Ant Group, the fintech affiliate of Chinese tech giant Alibaba Group Holding, is betting on more partnerships and investments in Southeast Asia's fast-growing digital payments sector to help it overcome a tougher regulatory environment at home.

"We're very focused in [the region] because we believe it's the time," Jia Hang, Ant Group's general manager for Southeast Asia, told Nikkei Asia in a recent interview, citing the reopening of regional economies as the COVID-19 pandemic wanes and international travel picks up.

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