Hong Kong is considered one of the earliest adopters of e-commerce in Asia. Data shows that in 2023, Hong Kong had approximately 3.5 million e-commerce users, with a penetration rate of 48.7%. By 2029, the numbers are expected to increase to 5.4 million and 73.1% respectively. According to Statista, the e-commerce market will grow at a CAGR of 8.72% from 2024 to 2029.
A 2023 survey found that around 51.8% of respondents made online purchases of products or services every week. The penetration rate of digital payment methods in Hong Kong has reached 66.21%, with a total transaction value exceeding USD 35.77 billion. Digital payments are primarily used for online shopping, bill payments, and in-store purchases.
According to 2024 data, aside from credit cards, e-wallets have become a preferred payment method for e-commerce users in Hong Kong, accounting for 36.6% of transactions. E-wallets are now one of the mainstream payment options in Hong Kong and are expected to maintain strong growth momentum.
Among leading e-wallet brands in Hong Kong, AlipayHK has 4.5 million active users and more than 170,000 partnered merchants, serving around 60% of the city's population. With over one million transactions processed every day, it is one of the most widely used and versatile payment methods in Hong Kong.
Founded in 2017, AlipayHK was the first payment method in Hong Kong to offer QR code payments for public transport. It supports QR code payments on the MTR, buses, and minibuses, and can also be used across a wide range of everyday scenarios, including receiving government coupons, shopping, dining, paying utility bills, and making transfers.
As one of the most popular payment methods in Hong Kong, Alipay HK provides a convenient online and offline payment experience. Supported online merchants include Taobao, Uniqlo, the App Store, and Google Play, while offline stores accepting AlipayHK include 7-Eleven, McDonald's, Watsons, and more.
In addition to continuously enhancing the e-wallet payment experience and transaction success rates, AlipayHK is also proactive in supporting local merchants in their digital transformation and building more accessible cross-border payment channels. These efforts enable AlipayHK to better serve international visitors by allowing overseas e-wallet users to make QR code payments to AlipayHK merchants in Hong Kong.
The following table lists the product properties supported by AlipayHK:
|
Payment type |
Digital wallet |
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|
Funding source |
Wallet balance, Credit card, Bank account, BNPL-Ant Bank PayLater |
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|
Acquirer |
AntomSG, AntomEU, AntomUS, AntomUK, AntomHK |
Merchant entity location |
SG, HK, EU, US, UK |
|
Payment flow |
Redirect |
Refund |
✔ |
|
Buyer country/region |
Hong Kong, China |
Partial refund |
✔️ |
|
Processing currency |
HKD |
Chargeback/Dispute |
❌ |
|
Minimum payment amount |
0.01 HKD per transaction |
Refund period |
365 days |
|
Maximum payment amount |
50,000 HKD per transaction; 200,000 HKD per year |
Time to return payment result |
Real-time |
|
Supported plugins |
✔️Shopify |
Default timeout |
14 minutes |
Note: The following payment flows on different terminals are for reference only, and represent this payment method's flow on different terminal types. For supported merchants' terminal types, consult Antom Technical Support.
The following screenshots show the user experience of paying with AlipayHK:
App
WAP
Antom offers a range of integration options tailored to each payment method. Each payment method may support different online payment integration options, allowing for flexibility based on your business requirements. The table below provides detailed information about the specific integrations available for each payment method:
|
Supported online payments |
Supported integrations |
Payment method manual |
|
Checkout Payment |
✔ API-only ✔ Mobile Element ✔ Web Element ✔ Pay By Link |
|
|
Auto Debit |
✔ API-only |
|
|
Subscription Payment |
✔ API-only |
|
|
EasySafePay |
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|
Scan to Link |
✔ API-only |
Yes. As one of the most popular payment methods in Hong Kong, China, AlipayHK offers accessible cross-border payment options to users from different countries and regions, including the Chinese mainland, Macao (China), Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia.
More and more people in Hong Kong are choosing e-wallets as the payment method of choice for their everyday purchases. Data shows that by 2025, the number of e-wallet users in Hong Kong will reach 6.37 million, with digital payment transactions exceeding USD 46.04 billion. From 2024 to 2028, the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.46%. Consumers love e-wallets because they're secure, accessible, fast, and easy to use.
Among the most widely used e-wallet brands in Hong Kong, AlipayHK, with 4.5 million active users, is one of the most popular e-wallets among consumers.
Hong Kong consumers primarily use e-wallets for dining, utility bills, peer-to-peer transfers, transit, cross-border payments, retail purchases, services, insurance, online shopping, mobile phone bills, and payments to small and medium-sized businesses.
Based on AlipayHK's data model, Hong Kong residents spend differently when they are in the Chinese mainland. In the Chinese mainland, nearly half of their spending goes toward lifestyle services such as transit, QR code meal orders, appointment bookings, health and beauty, and massage services. In Hong Kong, however, spending is concentrated in retail (58%) and dining (29%).