Worldline’s recent partnership with Chinese payment provider YeePay aims to create an integrated payment ecosystem to facilitate smoother international travel transactions, capitalising on China's bounce-back in tourism and expanding global connectivity for airlines.

Worldline, a well-known global player in the field of payment services, has recently teamed up with YeePay, which is a leading Chinese third-party payment provider focusing mainly on the airline and travel industries. This partnership brings together Worldline’s broad international acquiring network and its know-how in European aviation payments with YeePay’s strong grasp of China’s travel-related payment scene. From what both companies say, the goal is to develop a comprehensive, all-in-one solution that makes cross-border transactions easier for international airlines operating in China, as well as Chinese airlines looking to expand their global presence.

By bringing YeePay into Worldline’s acquiring framework, airlines and travel companies are expected to enjoy smoother payment flows, faster settlements, and compliance with the relevant Chinese and European regulations. This integration is made possible through Worldline’s Global Collect platform, which aims to boost operational efficiency and cut costs for businesses in this sector. For travelers, the partnership could mean more flexible payment options—covering local card schemes, international credit cards, and digital wallets—reducing hassle and supporting a return to more international air travel.

The timing of this deal is pretty interesting because reports show that cross-border tourism in China has bounced back to around 80% of pre-pandemic levels—that’s thanks in part to new visa-free policies and an increasing number of international routes. This partnership, therefore, addresses a growing market, with plans to make payments easier for Chinese carriers venturing into overseas markets and for foreign airlines trying to establish a foothold in China.

This move aligns with broader trends in how China is handling travel payments. For example, there are other deals like the one between fintech firm Hecto Financial and YeePay, which focus on expanding cross-border B2B payment networks between China and Korea. It’s clear there’s an ongoing effort to build more integrated financial services tailored for the travel industry. Adding to that, YeePay’s licenses for cross-border and domestic payments issued by the People’s Bank of China solidify its role as a key player in allowing these transactions to happen smoothly.

Beyond this specific partnership, Worldline has been working on expanding its global payment solutions. For example, it’s been integrating digital wallets like Alipay+ across Europe, which helps merchants and travelers with more mobile and online payment choices. It also has a partnership with FreedomPay, which is focused on providing advanced acquiring and gateway services for the travel and hospitality sectors—showing their dedication to pushing innovation in travel payments worldwide.

So, all in all, the partnership between Worldline and YeePay is a pretty significant step forward for cross-border payments in China’s travel scene. Both companies are keen to grow their cooperation further—beyond just airlines—to include hotels, online travel agencies, and the broader travel industry. This could lead to more integrated, more efficient payment ecosystems, making travel between China and the rest of the world a lot smoother in the future.


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Source: Noah Wire Services

Verification / Sources

  • https://ffnews.com/newsarticle/paytech/worldline-and-yeepay-sign-strategic-partnership-to-unlock-cross-border-payment-opportunities-in-chinas-aviation-and-travel-sector/ - Please view link - unable to able to access data
  • https://worldline.com/en/home/top-navigation/media-relations/press-release/pr-2025_10_02_01 - Worldline, a global leader in payment services, has entered into a strategic partnership with YeePay, a leading Chinese third-party payment provider specialising in the airline and travel sector. This alliance combines Worldline’s extensive global acquiring network and leadership in European aviation payments with YeePay’s deep expertise in China’s travel payment ecosystem. Together, the companies will offer a comprehensive one-stop payment solution, enabling seamless cross-border transactions for international carriers operating in China and Chinese airlines expanding their global presence. The partnership aims to provide simplified payment processes, accelerated settlement, and full compliance with both Chinese and European regulations, benefiting airlines, travel businesses, and travellers alike. Travellers will be able to pay using their preferred methods, including local card schemes, international credit cards, or digital wallets, reducing friction and supporting the growth of cross-border air travel. The market potential is considerable, with cross-border tourism in China already returning to 80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels and continuing to rise, driven by new visa-free entry policies and an increasing number of international routes. This partnership provides a cross-border payments solution, enabling Chinese carriers to reach international markets and international airlines to access China with ease, underpinned by Worldline’s global network and YeePay’s local know-how.
  • https://www.rttnews.com/3579249/worldline-yeepay-join-hands-for-cross-border-travel-payments-in-chinese-tourism-sector.aspx - Worldline, a global payment services provider, has entered into a strategic partnership with YeePay, a Chinese payment provider in the airline and travel sector. The alliance combines Worldline’s global acquiring network and European aviation expertise with YeePay's strong presence in China's travel payment ecosystem. Together, they will deliver a one-stop cross-border payment solution, simplifying transactions for international carriers in China and supporting Chinese airlines' global expansion. By integrating YeePay into Worldline's network, airlines and travel businesses gain faster settlement, streamlined compliance with Chinese and European regulations, and improved efficiency through Worldline's Global Collect platform. Travellers will also benefit from greater choice, including local card schemes, international credit cards, and digital wallets.
  • https://cm.asiae.co.kr/en/article/2025082709163018079 - Fintech company Hecto Financial has announced a strategic collaboration with Chinese mobile payment company YeePay to establish a Korea-China B2B cross-border payment network utilizing domestic banking networks. The two companies plan to start by expanding their merchant base in the tourism sector, including airlines and travel agencies. Hecto Financial is a fintech company specializing in payment services based on banking solutions such as firm banking and easy cash payments through integration with domestic banks. YeePay is a leading B2B payment service provider in China, holding both cross-border and domestic payment licenses issued by the People’s Bank of China. With a global payment network spanning over 130 countries and regions and real-time settlement in more than 30 currencies, YeePay offers specialized payment solutions for sectors such as airlines, travel, and cross-border transactions. The partnership aims to connect the banking networks of Korea and China, using both companies as hubs, to shorten settlement times and provide merchants with lower fees and more favorable exchange rates compared to existing settlement systems. This will enable more efficient and convenient international transactions, particularly in the tourism sector.
  • https://worldline.com/en/home/pressroom/press-releases/2022/pr-2022_02_09_01.html - Worldline, the European leader in the payments and transactional services industry, announced the integration of Alipay+ into its global portfolio. Through the collaboration, Worldline enhances its payment offering for in-store and e-commerce merchants across Europe, helping them to better serve customers through expanded mobile payments and other digital payment methods. Worldline is the first acquirer to enter into a full-scale multi-country integration with Alipay+. Launched in 2020, Alipay+ is a suite of global cross-border digital payments and marketing solutions operated by Ant Group. It supports a wide range of digital payment methods, including e-wallets and bank apps, such as Touch ‘n Go eWallet in Malaysia, TrueMoney in Thailand, GCash in the Philippines, Kakao Pay in South Korea, as well as Alipay and AlipayHK in China. With a rollout expected to start in 2022, the enhanced payments solution works with all Worldline terminals and applications, providing the same QR code for each new digital payment method. This brings ease of use to merchants as no change is required in merchants’ operations and the payment method recognition works fully automatically. Merchants also benefit from increased customer relations as online shoppers and travelers from Asia will experience a familiar, secure, seamless, and entirely automated payment flow. Merchants from all sectors, including retail, F&B, and hospitality across Europe, can simply reap the benefits by upgrading the fully integrated POS and e-Commerce solution from Worldline to enable Alipay+ acceptance, through effortless software updates with no additional investment.
  • https://worldline.com/en/home/top-navigation/media-relations/press-release/worldline-and-freedompay-announce-strategic-travel-hospitality-partnership - Worldline, a global leader in payment services, has entered a strategic partnership with FreedomPay, a leading global independent payment gateway. Focusing on the significant and rapidly evolving Travel & Hospitality sector, this collaboration will deliver innovative acquiring services and gateway capabilities to businesses across Europe and can be extended to Retail and other industries in the future. To enhance payment operations for major hotel chains with a global presence, the partnership offers a comprehensive, omni-channel solution. Integrating a Host2Host connection, developed by FreedomPay, with Worldline’s unique combination of acquiring and Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) services, the solution will support both card present and card not present transaction flows.
  • https://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten-2025-10/66598265-worldline-yeepay-join-hands-for-cross-border-travel-payments-in-chinese-tourism-sector-020.htm - Worldline, a global payment services provider, has entered into a strategic partnership with YeePay, a Chinese payment provider in the airline and travel sector. The alliance combines Worldline’s global acquiring network and European aviation expertise with YeePay's strong presence in China's travel payment ecosystem. Together, they will deliver a one-stop cross-border payment solution, simplifying transactions for international carriers in China and supporting Chinese airlines' global expansion. By bringing YeePay into Worldline's network, airlines and travel businesses gain faster settlement, streamlined compliance with Chinese and European regulations, and improved efficiency through Worldline's Global Collect platform. Travellers will also benefit from greater choice, including local card schemes, international credit cards, and digital wallets. According to Worldline, with cross-border tourism in China back to 80 percent of pre-pandemic levels and rising under new visa-free policies and expanded routes, the partnership is expected to drive growth in international air travel payments.

Noah Fact Check Pro

The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first emerged. We've since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may warrant further investigation.

Freshness check

Score: 10

Notes: ✅ The narrative is fresh, with the earliest known publication date being 2 October 2025. (worldline.com)

Quotes check

Score: 10

Notes: ✅ No direct quotes were identified in the provided text, indicating potential originality or exclusivity.

Source reliability

Score: 10

Notes: ✅ The narrative originates from Worldline's official press release, a reputable source. (worldline.com)

Plausability check

Score: 10

Notes: ✅ The claims are plausible and align with known industry trends, with no inconsistencies or unverifiable entities identified.

Overall assessment

Veredict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS

Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH

Summary: ✅ The narrative is fresh, originating from a reputable source, and presents plausible claims without inconsistencies or unverifiable entities.