Ant International Launches PayTo with Citi for Australian SME Payments
Ant International announced on Apr 27, 2026, that it has integrated PayTo into its Global Account Service in Australia, primarily powered by its WorldFirst platform. Citi serves as the initiator sponsor bank, providing the settlement and security infrastructure behind the service. Through a digital PayTo agreement, WorldFirst clients can initiate real-time pull payments from Australian bank accounts to top up their World Account, replacing traditional direct debits.
The integration offers 24/7 instant fund availability, bank-level payment authorization, and lower costs by reducing reliance on card fees and chargebacks. Beyond wallet top-ups, PayTo supports use cases such as SaaS billing, e-commerce marketplace settlement, and B2B invoice payments. Ant International and Citi are exploring further collaboration to expand PayTo across the Global Account Service.
Financial terms of the arrangement were not disclosed.
- Demonstrates growing bank-fintech collaboration on real-time A2A payment infrastructure as an alternative to card networks
- Strengthens Citi's positioning as a BaaS-adjacent infrastructure partner for global fintechs in the APAC region
- OfficialFinancial IT — Apr 2026