Tinaba and Banca Profilo Expand Global Digital Payments Strategy with Alipay+ Launch in Mainland China
Tinaba, in partnership with Banca Profilo, has announced the launch of digital payment services in the Chinese mainland, marking a major milestone in its international growth strategy. The initiative is made possible through an expanded strategic collaboration with Alipay+, the global wallet gateway solution developed by Ant International.
With this launch, Tinaba users can now make seamless cashless payments across one of the world’s most advanced digital economies, directly from their Italian banking app. The new service offers Italian travellers a simple, secure, and local payment experience in the Chinese mainland, eliminating many of the traditional barriers associated with international travel and cross-border transactions.
A New Era of Cross-Border Payments for Italian Travellers
Starting today, Tinaba users can pay at more than 80 million merchants across the Chinese mainland simply by scanning a QR code within the Tinaba App. This capability reflects the reality of a market where digital payments are deeply embedded in everyday life and where cash is increasingly becoming obsolete.
From retail stores and restaurants to hotels, transportation services, and tourist attractions, Tinaba users can now enjoy the same frictionless payment experience as local consumers. This is particularly significant given that QR-based mobile payments dominate China’s financial ecosystem, making traditional card-based transactions less common than in many Western markets.
The service is integrated directly into the Tinaba App through the feature “Pay Worldwide with Alipay+,” allowing users to pay in euros with transparent foreign exchange rates. There is no need to download local apps, open a Chinese bank account, or navigate complex payment procedures. Everything happens within the familiar Tinaba environment, in Italian, ensuring a smooth and intuitive user experience.
Strategic Expansion into the World’s Largest Digital Payments Market
Entering the Chinese mainland represents a strategic turning point for Tinaba and Banca Profilo. It strengthens their global positioning while expanding the range of services dedicated to international travellers and globally mobile customers.
China is widely regarded as the world’s most advanced laboratory for digital payments, where innovation in fintech, mobile wallets, and QR-based transactions has reshaped consumer behaviour and business models. By enabling access to this ecosystem, Tinaba positions itself not only as a domestic fintech solution but also as a global financial platform designed to support customers wherever they travel.
The partnership with Alipay+ also reflects a broader shift in the fintech industry, where interoperability between digital wallets and cross-border payment networks is becoming essential. As travellers increasingly expect seamless digital experiences abroad, financial institutions must adapt by integrating global payment infrastructures into their platforms.
Strengthening Tinaba’s International Value Proposition
For Tinaba, the launch in the Chinese mainland is more than a functional upgrade—it is a strategic enhancement of its international value proposition. By enabling global payments through a single, trusted app, Tinaba addresses one of the most persistent challenges in international travel: the fragmentation of payment systems.
Traditionally, travellers have had to rely on multiple payment methods, including credit cards, cash, and local digital wallets. This often resulted in higher fees, limited acceptance, and complex onboarding processes. Tinaba’s integration with Alipay+ simplifies this landscape, offering a unified solution that combines convenience, transparency, and security.
The initiative also strengthens Tinaba’s positioning as an open and innovative fintech platform. By collaborating with global partners and leveraging advanced payment technologies, Tinaba demonstrates its ability to evolve beyond national boundaries and respond to the needs of a digitally connected customer base.
Leadership Perspectives on a Strategic Milestone
Matteo Arpe, President of Tinaba with Banca Profilo, highlighted the strategic significance of the initiative and its implications for the company’s global ambitions.
The extension of the partnership with Alipay+ and Tinaba with Banca Profilo’s entry into the Chinese mainland represent a strategically significant milestone. The Chinese mainland is today the world’s most advanced laboratory for digital payments, and being able to offer our customers simple, secure and fully integrated access to this ecosystem means strengthening Tinaba’s international positioning as an open, innovative financial platform truly focused on global mobility. This is a concrete step towards an increasingly digital, international bank capable of supporting its customers wherever they are in the world,” he said.
From the perspective of Alipay+, the collaboration reflects a shared vision of simplifying global payments while preserving trust and usability. Pietro Candela, General Manager of EMEA at Alipay+, emphasized the value of enabling users to pay through the banking apps they already know and trust.
We share a clear vision with Tinaba: letting people pay through the banking app they already trust makes daily life simpler, safer, and more convenient. By enabling Tinaba users to pay in the Chinese mainland via Alipay+, directly from their Italian app, we’re extending a familiar wallet experience into one of the world’s most advanced cashless markets. Italian travellers can shop and dine like a local at more than 80 million merchants, with a transparent and efficient FX rate, and will soon have access to added benefits that provide a seamless end-to-end digital journey,” he said.
Candela also highlighted the broader context of growing travel flows between Italy and China.
Travel between Italy and the Chinese mainland is growing fast, helped by visa-free entry for Italian visitors. This expanded collaboration is a powerful example of how European financial institutions can drive the digitisation and globalisation of payments while keeping the user experience simple and secure,” he added.
Riding the Wave of Digital Wallet Adoption
The launch in the Chinese mainland comes at a time of rapid growth in the adoption of digital wallets for international payments. In 2025, Tinaba with Banca Profilo recorded a 133% increase in transaction volume through Alipay+, underscoring the accelerating shift toward mobile-first payment solutions among European users.
This trend reflects broader changes in consumer behaviour, where convenience, speed, and transparency are increasingly prioritized over traditional banking channels. Digital wallets have emerged as a key enabler of cross-border commerce, travel, and financial inclusion, offering users greater control over their spending and financial interactions.
By integrating Alipay+, Tinaba taps into this momentum, positioning itself at the intersection of European fintech innovation and global payment infrastructure. The result is a platform that not only meets current user expectations but also anticipates future demands for borderless financial services.
Beyond Payments: The Integration of AI-Powered Travel Services
Looking ahead, Tinaba plans to further enhance its offering by integrating Alipay+ Voyager, an AI-powered travel companion designed to support users throughout every stage of their journey.
Within the Tinaba App, travellers will be able to plan itineraries, receive personalized recommendations, and access a wide range of travel-related services, including transportation, hotel bookings, and attraction tickets. The platform will also provide contextual information about destinations, helping users navigate unfamiliar environments with greater confidence.
This integration represents a significant evolution in Tinaba’s role—from a digital payment provider to a comprehensive digital travel ecosystem. By combining financial services with AI-driven travel assistance, Tinaba aims to deliver a holistic user experience that seamlessly connects payments, planning, and in-destination activities.
A Shared Vision for Innovation and Digital Inclusion
The collaboration between Tinaba, Banca Profilo, and Alipay+ reflects a shared commitment to innovation, digital inclusion, and user-centric design. Together, the partners are developing solutions that address the needs of globally mobile consumers while breaking down barriers related to language, currency, and technology.
This approach aligns with broader trends in the fintech industry, where collaboration between banks, fintech platforms, and global payment networks is becoming essential to delivering scalable and inclusive solutions. By leveraging each partner’s strengths, the alliance creates a powerful ecosystem capable of supporting diverse use cases and markets.
The initiative also highlights the role of digital payments in fostering economic connectivity. By enabling seamless transactions across borders, platforms like Tinaba and Alipay+ contribute to the globalization of commerce, tourism, and financial services.
A Long-Standing Partnership Built on Innovation
The partnership between Tinaba, Banca Profilo, and Alipay+ is rooted in a long-term strategic vision. It began in 2018 with the goal of creating a digital payment ecosystem capable of overcoming linguistic, cultural, and financial barriers.
Over the years, the collaboration has evolved through multiple phases of innovation and expansion. In 2023, Tinaba became the first Italian fintech to enable instant online and offline payments in euros and in Italian directly from the app across Alipay+ partner merchants. This milestone marked a turning point in Tinaba’s international journey and laid the groundwork for further expansion into global markets.
Today, Alipay+ connects 1.8 billion user accounts from more than 40 mobile payment partners with over 150 million merchants in more than 100 markets worldwide. By integrating with this global network, Tinaba gains access to a vast ecosystem of merchants and users, significantly expanding its reach and relevance.
Redefining the Future of Global Fintech
The launch of Tinaba’s digital payment services in the Chinese mainland is not just a technological upgrade—it is a strategic statement about the future of global fintech. As financial services become increasingly digital, mobile, and interconnected, the ability to operate seamlessly across borders will become a defining feature of successful platforms.
Tinaba’s collaboration with Banca Profilo and Alipay+ illustrates how European fintech players can leverage global partnerships to compete in an increasingly interconnected financial landscape. By combining local expertise with global infrastructure, Tinaba demonstrates that innovation in fintech is not confined by geography but driven by collaboration and user-centric design.
At the same time, the initiative reflects a broader shift in how financial institutions perceive their role. Rather than merely providing transactional services, they are becoming integrated digital platforms that support multiple aspects of users’ lives—from payments and banking to travel and lifestyle services.
A Milestone in Global Digital Payments
Tinaba’s entry into the Chinese mainland marks a significant milestone in its journey toward becoming a truly global fintech platform. Through its expanded partnership with Alipay+, the company has unlocked access to one of the world’s most advanced digital payment ecosystems, offering Italian travellers unprecedented convenience and flexibility.
By combining seamless payments, transparent exchange rates, and future-ready AI-powered travel services, Tinaba is redefining what it means to be a digital financial platform in the era of global mobility. The collaboration with Banca Profilo and Alipay+ not only strengthens Tinaba’s international positioning but also sets a benchmark for how fintech companies can drive innovation, inclusion, and connectivity in the global financial ecosystem.
As cross-border travel and digital adoption continue to accelerate, Tinaba’s initiative positions it at the forefront of a new generation of fintech solutions—ones that transcend borders, simplify complexity, and empower users to navigate the world with confidence and ease.
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