Ant International, the global arm of Jack Ma-backed financial technology company Ant Group, has raised $1.2 billion in Series A funding to expand its cross-border payment and AI-enabled commerce operations. The company said the new capital will support merchant payments, account management and other financial services designed for small businesses. Ant Group and affiliated e-commerce company Alibaba Group Holding NYSE:BABA participated in the financing alongside international investors, giving Ant International additional resources as it builds a more independent global business.
The fundraising may also strengthen Ant International's preparations for a possible Hong Kong listing, although no offering has been formally announced. People familiar with the matter previously said the company was seeking a valuation of at least $10 billion and could begin preparing for a listing as soon as this year. Ant International generated $3 billion in revenue in 2024 before revenue increased by about 25% in 2025, suggesting the business has continued to gain scale across its four main operations.
Those operations include Antom, which helps merchants connect with more than 300 payment methods and accept over 100 currencies, as well as cross-border trade-payment platform WorldFirst. Ant International also operates Bettr, an AI-powered digital lending and financial-management service, and Alipay+, a cross-border network connecting different digital wallets. For investors, the $1.2 billion financing could signal renewed momentum behind Ant's international growth strategy, although technology spending and regulatory challenges have continued to weigh on the broader group, which was valued at roughly $79 billion in 2023 compared with $280 billion during its halted 2020 IPO attempt.