Ant International has just completed a Series A funding round worth approximately $1.2 billion. The Singapore-based international unit of Ant Group secured the capital injection from its parent company, Alibaba, existing shareholders, and several international investment institutions whose names remain undisclosed to the public.
The massive funding comes on the back of a solid performance track record. Citing a Bloomberg report from June 2026, Ant International generated $3.7 billion in revenue throughout 2025, marking a 25% increase from the previous year. The company demonstrated its resilience by recording profits for eight consecutive quarters. The valuation for this funding round was explored at around at least $10 billion.
More Than Just a Standard Payment Tool
The business group oversees four main operating units: Alipay+, Antom for merchant payments, WorldFirst for cross-border financial services, and Bettr, which handles AI-driven treasury management. The Alipay+ network itself is now fully operational across more than 100 markets, bridging 150 million merchants with over 2 billion consumer accounts worldwide.
The true backbone of these massive operations is the Whale blockchain platform. Throughout 2024, Ant International’s platform processed over $1 trillion in global transactions, with approximately one-third of the total transaction volume flowing directly through blockchain infrastructure. To streamline cross-border money movement, the company has integrated Circle’s USDC stablecoin into parts of its cross-border settlement network.
Armed with the fresh capital, the company is poised to accelerate global expansion, double down on artificial intelligence investments, and expand global account services. On the technical side, they are preparing to add AI-driven payment capabilities through the implementation of the EIP-3009 standard.
Expanding Directly into the Heart of DeFi
The company’s ambitions clearly extend beyond the boundaries of traditional Web2 financial systems. Ant International has begun laying serious plans by applying for stablecoin issuer licenses. Notably, they are targeting fiat-pegged stablecoin licenses across three strategic jurisdictions simultaneously: Hong Kong, Singapore, and Luxembourg.
Their blockchain system will also be upgraded with advanced capabilities, including confidential balance features and delegated transaction execution. These upgrades point to a single target: deep expansion into the decentralized finance sector. This move is corroborated by ongoing integrations with major crypto protocols such as PancakeSwap, ListaDAO, Aster, and Four.meme.
For established stablecoin issuers and DeFi protocols, this maneuver warrants serious attention. Their new rival this month is no ordinary startup, but a heavyweight armed with billions of dollars in capital and billions of active users ready to be onboarded to Web3.
Reported by crypto.news.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only, not financial advice. Cryptocurrency assets are highly volatile and carry significant risk. Always do your own research (DYOR) and never invest more than you can afford to lose.
