All 65,000 merchants with accounts at Portuguese bank Millennium BCP will soon be able to provide Alipay, a Chinese electronic payment service to their customers, Expresso reports.
The Portuguese newspaper says this is one result of a deal struck in March by Alipay and Millennium BCP, the biggest shareholder in which is Chinese conglomerate Fosun International Ltd.
The report quotes a written statement issued by Millennium BCP as saying the service may mean more business for Portuguese shopkeepers, as Chinese dislike carrying large amounts of cash when travelling abroad.
Millennium BCP says the service could increase the appeal of Portugal to Chinese travellers.
The bank will offer the Alipay service first in those parts of Portugal where the number of Chinese visitors has grown consistently, Expresso quotes an executive of the bank as saying.
