Hong Leong Bank (HLB) customers can now make QR payments in China directly from the HLB Connect app through a partnership with UnionPay International (UPI).
The bank is pairing the feature with its multi-currency account, so customers can convert ringgit into offshore yuan before they travel and spend from that balance.
The service works at more than 120 million UPI and Weixin Pay QR-enabled merchants in China from major retailers and restaurants to small businesses and individual sellers.
Payments come straight out of the customer’s HLB account, so there is no need for a third-party app or a wallet top-up.
Customers can scan a merchant’s code or show an in-app QR code for the merchant to scan.
Locking in the exchange rate before travel
The Multi-Currency Feature (MCF) on the HLB Pay&Save Account sets the offering apart from a standard QR integration.
Customers can convert Malaysian ringgit (MYR) into offshore Chinese yuan (CNH) ahead of a trip, hold the funds, and pay from that balance through HLB QR Pay.
HLB contrasts this with platforms and e-wallets that convert currency at the prevailing rate on every transaction.
By converting in advance, customers fix the rate on the funds they hold, which the bank says gives travellers predictable spending power without tracking daily exchange rates.
HLB charges no transaction fees or service charges on payments drawn from the CNH balance. If that balance is insufficient, the bank debits the payment automatically from the customer’s primary MYR account.
Why China QR access matters to Malaysian banks
“In China, QR payments are central to daily life and commerce. They are used everywhere, from malls and restaurants to street food stalls and rural market vendors,”
said Andrew Jong, Managing Director of Personal Financial Services, Hong Leong Bank.
Jong described China as a key destination for Malaysian travellers, businessmen, professionals and students, and said the bank wanted a payment experience that was secure and familiar to them.
“By bringing our multi-currency feature together with HLB QR Pay, this partnership with UPI takes us another step closer to creating a more seamless and connected global payment experience that provides convenience to our customers, both at home and abroad,”
he said.
Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by HLB
