TenPay Global and PayPal World have struck a deal enabling PayPal users to spend at tens of millions of Weixin Pay merchants across China, launching first for US customers
Tencent has partnered with PayPal as part of an upgrade to its inbound payment infrastructure, allowing PayPal users to scan Weixin Pay (Wechat Pay) QR codes at merchants across China.
PayPal, whose share price sits at $43.70, still in sharp discount from its past 52-week high of $79.50, said its US users would be first to access the service, with additional markets to follow in phases. It represents one of the first major announcements for PayPal since undergoing an organisations restructuring earlier this year.
For Tencent, the deal marks the most telling expansion yet of the platform’s cross-border wallet network. The arrangement after US lawmakers questioned the growing ties between PayPal and Tencent in 2025.
Announced at the opening forum of the 20th Shenzhen International Financial Expo, the initiative was timed to coincide with China’s hosting of APEC 2026, and brings together TenPay Global, Tencent’s cross-border payment arm, and PayPal World, the global platform designed to bridge major digital wallet ecosystems.
The deal means international travellers can pay at tens of millions of Weixin Pay merchants nationwide using a wallet they already have, with no new app required. It extends a model Tencent has been building since 2018, when it first enabled WeChat Pay HK users to spend on the mainland without switching platforms.
PayPal integration bolsters Tencent wallet count
The PayPal integration brings Tencent’s live overseas wallet partnerships to 36, with more from APAC economies in the pipeline.
Speaking at the launch, Otto Williams, Senior Vice President of PayPal World, said the partnership would enable seamless payment experiences for travellers to China.
“China is home to one of the world’s most sophisticated digital payment ecosystems, and for international travelers, the ability to pay seamlessly is integral to the experience of being here,” Williams said.
“Through PayPal World’s partnership with TenPay Global, we are committed to ensuring that international visitors can enjoy frictionless payments, using a wallet they already know and trust.”
Per the arrangement, first-time users who link an international bank card to WeChat will receive a 90-day waiver on the platform’s standard 3% processing fee, covering daily spending of up to RMB1,000 ($147.51). The offer is effective from the moment of a user’s first transaction.
The partnership comes as Weixin Pay data shows transactions by foreign travellers using internationally linked bank cards rose by nearly 80% year-on-year between January and April 2026.
Daniel Hong, Vice President of Tencent Financial Technology, said the fee waiver was designed to translate that growth into a more welcoming experience: “We hope tangible benefits and a friendlier experience will reflect the warmth of a host, and lower the cost for our international friends to pay while in China.”
Language barriers come down
The third strand of the initiative addresses a frequent pain point for international visitors: navigating payment flows in an unfamiliar language.
Weixin Pay has expanded its in-app guidance to 16 languages, including English, Korean, Thai, Russian, Spanish and Arabic, covering all major APEC economies. The rollout is targeted at Shenzhen’s ports of entry, airports, business districts and banks ahead of the APEC meetings.
Offline service desks at airports, hotels and key commercial districts are being set up alongside 24/7 multilingual online support, creating what Tencent describes as end-to-end coverage across traveller touchpoints.
TenPay Global has also moved to streamline departure tax refunds, partnering with domestic refund institutions to credit eligible amounts directly back to overseas e-wallets – starting with WeChat Pay HK in Shenzhen.
Once live, the service will process refunds within seconds, bypassing the traditional reliance on cash or international credit cards.
Hong framed the package as a long-term commitment rather than a one-off event upgrade. “Tencent will continue to advance the 2026 Inbound Payment Upgrade Initiative – refining the inbound payment experience so that international visitors can pay with ease from the moment they arrive,” he said.
