Alibaba Opens Doors to Tencent’s WeChat Pay on E-commerce Platforms

In a significant shift, Chinese tech giant Alibaba announced that its flagship e-commerce platforms, Taobao and Tmall, will now accept payments through Tencent’s WeChat Pay. This move marks the first time that Alibaba’s core shopping apps will support a payment option other than their own Alipay, which is managed by Alibaba’s affiliate, Ant Group.

Historically, Alibaba had limited payment options on its platforms, strongly promoting Alipay as the primary method. However, with the rise of competition and a slowing Chinese consumer market, Alibaba is seeking new ways to boost growth in its e-commerce sector.

The decision to allow WeChat Pay, a leading mobile payment app in China with over 1.3 billion users, is a strategic move as Alibaba aims to reinvigorate its e-commerce business. Alibaba CEO Eddie Wu has expressed confidence that the company will return to growth by the latter half of fiscal year 2025.

Alibaba and Tencent, two of China’s most influential internet companies, have traditionally maintained strict boundaries between their services, making this collaboration particularly notable. This step could signify a new era of cooperation between the two tech giants as they navigate the evolving digital landscape.