Press Release

Ant International, Saudi’s Abdul Latif to digitize MSME services

• ByStartupStory     |    November 11, 2025

Abdul Latif Jameel Finance, a leading fintech and financing solutions provider regulated by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ant International, a global digital payment and financial technology provider headquartered in Singapore, to collaborate on digitizing Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) services in Saudi Arabia.

The partnership aims to leverage Ant International’s advanced digital financial solutions, including its WorldFirst all-in-one digital cross-border payment and treasury account service and Alipay+, the global mobile wallet gateway, to enhance the financial and consumer services ecosystem for Saudi Arabia’s merchants and consumers. Through this collaboration, they will explore embedding finance solutions and cross-border payment innovations to support local and international expansion within Abdul Latif Jameel Finance’s extensive merchant network.

Dr. Khalid Alsharif, CEO of Abdul Latif Jameel Finance, emphasized that the collaboration supports Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 by enabling innovative and inclusive financial solutions, advancing the fintech ecosystem, and contributing to the growth of MSMEs in the Kingdom.

Leiming Chen, Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer of Ant International, noted that the MoU marks another important step in building cross-sector partnerships to support the Kingdom’s digital economy agenda. Clara Shi, CEO of WorldFirst, also highlighted the shared mission to provide diversified financial and digital services for MSMEs in the Middle East as part of the region’s digital transformation.

Ant International opened its first Middle East office in Riyadh in 2025 and plans to integrate Alipay+ with Saudi Arabia’s national payment scheme, mada, in 2026. This collaboration leverages the combined strengths of Abdul Latif Jameel Finance’s local presence and Ant International’s innovative fintech technologies to expand the accessibility, efficiency, and scope of MSME financial services in Saudi Arabia.

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