Global digital payment company Ant International is expanding its focus on the Middle East by opening a new office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The launch of the new office follows a successful technical certification as a Payment Technical Service Provider (PTSP) from the Saudi Central Bank, enabling Ant International to become fully operational in the country.
Now with the new office in the Al-Olaya region of Riyadh, Ant International will use this as a base to focus on working closely with local partners, providing its payment growth solutions to local acquirers and merchants.
Leiming Chen, SVP and Chief Sustainability Officer at Ant International, said: “The opening of our Riyadh office represents a significant milestone for Ant International in the Middle East, and strong commitment from Ant International to contribute to the economic growth of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – with the creation of local fintech jobs, inclusion initiatives and a boost to digital transformation in the region.
“Under the continued support and guidance of SAMA and the Ministry of Investment (MISA), we’ve taken our first steps to support businesses of all sizes across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by offering digital inclusion, and we plan to bring Ant International’s innovative business pillars to the Kingdom in time.
“We greatly value the strong, dynamic payment market in Saudi Arabia, which has been shaped by SAMA’s progressive policies and the Kingdom’s vibrant economy, providing a great environment for innovation and sustainable growth.”
Central to Ant International’s Saudi and wider Middle East focus will be its unified digital payment solution, Antom. The firm will begin to roll out Antom to the local Saudi market later this year to help local merchants access its abilities to streamline e-commerce payments.
Antom has already garnered a strong local regional presence in more than 40 markets. It allows merchants to integrate more than a hundred payment methods for their customers to access, available in over 100 currencies.
The solution seeks to enhance merchants’ operations through AI-routed payment orchestration, LLM-powered merchant services and advanced security measures. These solutions aim to reduce costs, improve efficiency and transaction security, and streamline foreign exchange risk management.
“Ant International’s entry into KSA with Antom payment services aligns closely with the priorities of SAMA, providing stability and consumer protection, supporting KSA consumers to buy safely and conveniently through digital payment methods, and growing KSA’s fintech sector through the creation of local jobs and talent inclusion programs,” added Chen.
