SINGAPORE — Singaporeans will now be able to use their Singtel Dash mobile wallets to shop and dine at over 1.6 million stores in Thailand, including in popular Bangkok malls like MBK Center, JJ Mall and Chatuchak weekend market.

On Tuesday (Oct 2), local telco Singtel Group and Thai mobile operator AIS launched VIA, Asia’s first cross-border payment system in partnership with Kasikornbank, the largest digital bank in Thailand.

The alliance — the first of its kind between telco and non-telco mobile wallets — allows users of Singtel Dash, AIS GLOBAL Pay and Rabbit Line Pay to make Quick Response (QR) code-based mobile payments in both Singapore and Thailand.

It comes after the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced in November last year that Singapore’s PayNow system would be linked to PromptPay, Thailand’s equivalent. Then, the MAS and financial institutions here also agreed to similar tie-ups with their counterparts overseas.

Available to more than half a million registered users of Singtel Dash in Singapore, the VIA service is also accessible to more than 42 million Line chat users in Thailand. Among them are over five million Rabbit Line Pay users, who will need to download AIS Global Pay to use the e-wallet feature on Rabbit Line Pay when in Singapore.

With 1.5 million visitors travelling between Singapore and Thailand last year, Singtel and AIS said in their joint statement they expect the service to “strengthen digital economies in South-east Asia”.

Calling the collaboration a “game changer”, Singtel’s International Group chief executive officer Arthur Lang said the aim is unify Asia’s “fragmented payments scene”.

“As more people travel around the region, we want them to be able to enjoy the ease and familiarity of using their local mobile wallets abroad. VIA will enhance the payment experience for millions of consumers including our group’s customer base of more than 700 million,” added Mr Lang.

For AIS CEO Somchai Lertsutiwong, the collaboration will “proactively” drive the cashless society forward.

“We place great importance on the continued development of services to meet the growing demand for mobile payments. This partnership offers Thais a seamless digital payment experience at home and abroad, and adds a new dimension which will take the cashless society to the next level,” he added.

The Singtel Group added it plans to progressively expand this alliance to include other regional counterparts, including Airtel in India, Globe in the Philippines, Telkomsel in Indonesia, as well as non-telcos such as China’s Ping An eWallet, owned by Ping An Insurance Group.

BENEFITS OF VIA

Besides being available at large shopping malls, small and mid-sized Thai merchants will also accept payments via the mobile wallet.

Singtel said that for such small and mid-sized merchants, who may not accept credit and debit cards, adopting VIA can be more cost effective, and can also expand their customer base.

To use their mobile wallets to make purchases, Singapore customers would need to scan the Thai merchant’s QR code in the Dash app.

Conversely, Thai users can also use the e-wallet feature, Rabbit Line Pay, to pay for taxi rides and services in Singapore. For example, they can pay for ComfortDelGro taxi rides, services and at stores such as Pizza Hut, Breadtalk and 7-Eleven.

The full list of participating merchants is available at https://www.viaconnects.com/merchants/.

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