New Zealand’s leading tourism operator, RealNZ expands Weixin Pay acceptance and deepens its use of Weixin ecosystem services, helping Chinese mainland visitors enjoy a more familiar and convenient travel journey.

SHENZHEN, China, June 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — RealNZ, one of New Zealand’s leading tourism and ski field operators, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Weixin Pay to deepen its integration across the Weixin ecosystem and expand digital payment acceptance across key tourism services and visitor touchpoints.

The MoU marks the next phase of RealNZ’s cooperation with Weixin Pay, moving beyond payment acceptance to a more connected digital engagement model that brings together Weixin Pay, Mini Program services and Weixin Channels. The signing ceremony took place at Tencent’s Shenzhen headquarters and was attended by representatives from RealNZ and Weixin Pay.

Connecting Tourism Services Through the Weixin Ecosystem

RealNZ has established Weixin Mini Program ticket-booking capabilities and accepts Weixin Pay across selected tourism services and visitor experiences. Under the expanded MoU, RealNZ will further deepen its use of Weixin Pay, Mini Programs and Channels to build a more integrated digital pathway for Chinese mainland visitors.

Through this cooperation, RealNZ can use Weixin Channels to support content discovery and travel inspiration, its Mini Program to support activity selection, booking and offer access, and Weixin Pay to support payment, redemption and promotional offer usage at relevant visitor touchpoints.

For Weixin Pay, the cooperation with RealNZ provides an example of how destination operators can use the Weixin ecosystem as a broader business-engagement platform, not only as a payment tool. By connecting content, booking, payment and promotional mechanisms, the partnership supports a more structured model for tourism businesses seeking to serve Chinese mainland visitors.

Strengthening Tourism Engagement Through Digital Integration

As outbound travel from China continues to gain momentum, tourism operators are placing greater focus on digital infrastructure that can support Chinese mainland visitors across discovery, booking, payment and in-destination engagement.

RealNZ’s expanded cooperation with Weixin Pay responds to this shift by building a more seamless connection between destination marketing, online booking, payment acceptance and offer redemption. The collaboration is expected to help RealNZ reduce payment barriers, improve campaign conversion and strengthen visitor engagement through Weixin’s social, content and payment capabilities.

The partnership will also introduce more interactive marketing mechanisms this year, including a social group-based campaign with Weixin Pay and its partners. Through social sharing, group booking, cashback and exchange-rate benefits, RealNZ will be able to use Weixin Pay and related ecosystem touchpoints to support visitor engagement and in-trip conversion.

Dave Beeche, CEO of RealNZ, said: “New Zealand’s South Island is home to world-class natural landscapes and a rich range of tourism experiences, and China remains an important visitor market for the local tourism industry. Through our cooperation with Weixin Pay, we hope to make it easier for Chinese visitors to discover and enjoy RealNZ experiences, while helping local businesses better understand, reach and serve this important market.”

“Payment plays an important role in shaping the overall travel experience,” added Monica Zheng, Oceania Regional Director of Weixin Pay. “By leveraging the integrated capabilities of Mini Programs, Weixin Channels and Weixin Pay, and introducing new features such as social invitation campaigns and cash rebates, we aim to make the exploration of natural wonders more fun, convenient and interactive.”

Looking further ahead, RealNZ and Weixin Pay will continue to deepen their cooperation across RealNZ’s tourism experiences in New Zealand’s South Island, connecting cross-border payment services more closely with destination discovery, booking, promotion and in-trip engagement to support a more convenient, digital-first travel journey for Chinese mainland visitors.

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SOURCE Weixin Pay

Through Kia Ora South, Christchurch Airport is supporting wider Weixin Pay acceptance across participating South Island tourism and merchant touchpoints, helping local businesses better serve Chinese mainland visitors.

SHENZHEN, China, June 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Christchurch Airport, the gateway to New Zealand’s South Island, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Weixin Pay to support wider digital payment acceptance across participating tourism, retail and visitor touchpoints in the South Island.

The MoU marks a further step in Christchurch Airport’s work with regional tourism operators and local businesses through Kia Ora South, strengthening the region’s payment infrastructure and helping participating merchants better welcome Chinese mainland visitors.

The signing ceremony took place at Tencent’s Shenzhen headquarters and was attended by representatives from Christchurch Airport and Weixin Pay.

Strengthening Merchant Acceptance Across the South Island

Christchurch Airport plays an important role in connecting Chinese mainland visitors with destinations, experiences and businesses across New Zealand’s South Island. Through Kia Ora South, the airport works with tourism operators, regional organisations and visitor-facing merchants to support a more coordinated approach to the Chinese mainland visitor segment.

Under the cooperation with Weixin Pay, Christchurch Airport is supporting broader Weixin Pay acceptance across participating South Island merchant touchpoints, including tourism experiences, retailers, hospitality operators and other local businesses serving international visitors.

For merchants, wider Weixin Pay acceptance can help reduce payment friction, support in-store conversion and provide a more familiar payment option for Chinese mainland visitors. For the regional tourism sector, the cooperation supports a more connected payment network across arrival, travel, shopping, dining and destination experiences.

Supporting a More Connected South Island Visitor Economy

As outbound travel from China continues to gain momentum, regional destinations are placing greater focus on digital infrastructure that can support Chinese mainland visitors across different stages of their trip.

Christchurch Airport’s cooperation with Weixin Pay responds to this shift by helping connect airport touchpoints, local merchants and regional tourism partners through a payment method widely used by Chinese mainland visitors. The cooperation also creates opportunities for participating businesses to take part in future promotional activities, including digital offers, cashback campaigns and exchange-rate benefits.

While the core focus of the cooperation is broader Weixin Pay acceptance across the South Island, participating partners may also benefit from selected Weixin ecosystem touchpoints, including digital promotions and visitor-engagement tools that can support awareness, redemption and in-trip conversion.

Justin Watson, CE of Christchurch Airport, said: “This cooperation is a ‘digital calling card’ from the Kia Ora South alliance to our Chinese friends — a warm invitation that speaks their language. We look forward to delivering a seamless, home-away-from-home experience for Chinese visitors, while empowering local businesses across diverse sectors. Together, we are opening a new chapter in China–New Zealand regional collaboration and the fusion of culture and tourism.”

“Christchurch Airport and the Kia Ora South alliance play an important role in connecting Chinese mainland visitors with South Island destinations, experiences and local businesses,” said Monica Zheng, Oceania Regional Director of Weixin Pay. “Through this cooperation, Weixin Pay is pleased to support wider merchant acceptance across the region and help create a more connected payment experience for visitors as they travel through the South Island.”

This Signing Ceremony was witnessed by 36 Kia Ora South participants from South Island of New Zealand. As the cooperation progresses, Christchurch Airport and Weixin Pay will continue working with regional partners to expand merchant acceptance and support digital payment connectivity, helping businesses better serve Chinese mainland visitors and strengthening the South Island’s position as a welcoming, connected destination.

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SOURCE Weixin Pay

The Singapore-headquartered merchant operating system grew annualised recurring revenue 61% in 2025 and turned profitable across four Southeast Asian markets on a lean capital base.

SINGAPORE, June 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Qashier, a unified merchant operating system for Southeast Asia, today announced a US$6.125 million Series A+ financing round comprising equity and debt. The round was led by Cocoon Capital, IFP Securities and BlackSoil Global, with participation from strategic angel investors. The capital will support regional expansion and product development.

The raise follows a year of disciplined operating progress. Qashier now processes US$1 billion in annualised payment volume for more than 20,000 merchants across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, and has been profitable every month since December 2025. Over the year it grew annualised recurring revenue 61% and secured its Major Payment Institution licence in Singapore in February 2025. The company has reached these milestones having raised under US$20 million to date, a level of capital efficiency rare among payments businesses at its scale.

Southeast Asia is home to more than 70 million SMEs and a digital payments market exceeding US$1 trillion, yet most merchants still run their businesses on disconnected systems — separate providers for point-of-sale, payment acceptance, inventory, customer engagement and financing. That fragmentation adds cost, creates blind spots, and holds back businesses trying to grow across outlets and borders.

Qashier brings these functions onto a single platform, combining payments, business software, CRM and embedded financial services across more than 50 integrated modules — spanning ordering, inventory management, loyalty and automated marketing — and over 20 regional payment methods, including cards, QR, e-wallets and buy-now-pay-later. Crucially, Qashier owns its end-to-end payments stack — KYC, processing, payouts and cross-border settlement — giving merchants a faster, fully integrated experience and more competitive pricing, while generating the proprietary transaction data that powers the rest of the platform.

That data advantage is most visible in QashierLoans, the company’s revenue-based lending product launched in June 2025. Underwritten entirely on proprietary platform data and repaid automatically from each merchant’s daily sales, QashierLoans has disbursed more than US$10 million to over 100 SMEs since launch — extending Qashier’s role from commerce software provider to financial operating partner, and turning every transaction on the platform into a sharper credit signal.

“We are building the operating system for Southeast Asia’s SME economy — and we are building it profitably,” said Christopher Choo, Co-Founder and CEO of Qashier. “Merchants should not have to stitch together five vendors to run one business. By bringing payments, software, financial services and customer engagement into a single ecosystem, we give them clarity, lower costs and the confidence to scale across markets. This round lets us leverage that advantage into the next phase of growth.”

Cocoon Capital has backed Qashier since its early days. “We have been proud to support Qashier since its beginning, and this latest round is a testament to what the team has built,” said Michael Blakey of Cocoon Capital. “What continues to impress us is their ability to navigate every obstacle placed in their path with resilience and ingenuity. Qashier’s cofounders, Christopher Choo and Franklin Zhao, have an exceptionally clear and compelling vision for what Qashier is becoming, ‘the default operating infrastructure for commerce across Southeast Asia,’ and we remain firmly committed to supporting that journey.”

With the new funding, Qashier will focus on enhanced omnichannel payments, broader embedded financial services, and AI-enabled insights and workflow automation. It will also expand its offering for larger, multi-outlet businesses, particularly in food and beverage and beauty and wellness, where merchants require sophisticated workflows, consolidated reporting and a consistent customer experience across locations and markets. Qashier is preparing for a Series B round to fund its next phase of growth, with milestones expected in recurring revenue, payment licensing and loan disbursements.

About Qashier

Qashier is a unified merchant operating system that brings together payments, business software, embedded financial services and customer engagement tools on one platform. Operating across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, Qashier supports more than 20,000 SMEs with an integrated ecosystem built for Southeast Asia’s digital economy.

About Cocoon Capital

Cocoon Capital® is a Singapore-based venture capital firm focused on early-stage investments in enterprise software and deep tech across Southeast Asia. Founded in 2016, Cocoon has more than USD 90 million assets under management and has made over 30 investments to date. The firm backs companies building transformative solutions in sectors including medtech, advanced manufacturing, logistics, diagnostics, and climate tech. With its slogan “Dare to Change™”, Cocoon stands apart by leading early, taking concentrated positions, and working hands-on with founders from Seed through Series A. Portfolio companies include Aprisium, TransTRACK, Shomvob, Augmentus, Bioactivx, BuyMed, See-Mode Technologies, and Volt14. Learn more at www.cocooncap.com.

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SOURCE Cocoon Capital; Qashier Pte. Ltd.