logo

Ant International expands merchant payment AI functions

Finextra17-07-2025
Antom, Ant International's merchant payment and digitisation services provider, today announced a major upgrade to its flagship AI agent, Antom Copilot, with expanded capabilities across payment integration, onboarding, risk configuration, and chargeback solution.
0
This content is provided by an external author without editing by Finextra. It expresses the views and opinions of the author.
Antom Copilot is the world's first merchant payment service AI agent, launched in June 2024. It's built on Ant International's Alipay+ GenAI Cockpit, an AI-as-a-Service (AIaaS) platform that enables fintech companies and super apps to build AI-agentic and ultimately AI-native financial services.
Nearly 50% of SME clients of Antom do not actively respond to chargebacks. An industry first, the Chargeback AI Assistant offers a faster and more effective solution to the increasingly complex dispute settlement and revenue loss recovery issues for SMEs and e-commerce platforms.
The Chargeback AI Assistant builds a tailored response strategy based on automated case-by-case analysis to help merchants improve revenue control and customer service. It offers documentation support, success rate analysis, defence building, as well as post-case analysis. Pilot testing showed a 3 percentage point increase in win rates, while time spent on dispute resolution was reduced by 46%.
To ensure accuracy and reliability, the process includes merchant review and manual verification by Antom. Full automation is planned in future iterations.
Other updates include the ability to automatically recommend suitable payment methods, acquiring services and integration solutions based on merchant needs and Antom Copilot's analysis of industry trends and market conditions. It enables merchants to deploy localized payment methods more quickly and with less technical resources.
Antom Copilot 2.0 also offers AI-assisted onboarding that leverages multimodal LLM capabilities to extract merchant registration documents. In addition, merchants can now configure risk management settings using natural language prompts, making AI-powered anti-fraud tools more available and easier to manage.
Antom Copilot accelerates integration by over 90%, leveraging chain of thought (CoT) reasoning, standard operating procedure (SOP) automation, language (LUI) and graphical (GUI) user interfaces, and AI-driven code generation. It also achieves an average satisfaction rate of 90% in end-to-end issue resolution.
56% of the merchants using Antom's dashboard engaged with the embedded Antom Copilot during the first half of 2025. The most common questions they asked were about payment method coverage and supported currencies, industry-specific payment solutions, and recommended integration technologies.
'We're building AI tools that go beyond payment acquiring to address real operational needs for merchants,' said Gary Liu, General Manager of Antom, Ant International. 'With this latest upgrade, Antom Copilot continues to evolve into a payment partner to provide merchants with tailored solutions. This reflects Ant International's AI strategy to deliver trusted, industry-specific solutions that help businesses, especially SMEs, fully harness the benefits of technology to thrive.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Amazon fails to quiet tariffs concerns as it offers worse-than-expected financial outlook
Amazon fails to quiet tariffs concerns as it offers worse-than-expected financial outlook

The Guardian

time16 hours ago

  • The Guardian

Amazon fails to quiet tariffs concerns as it offers worse-than-expected financial outlook

Amazon failed to quiet concerns over how Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs would affect its e-commerce business as it reported its latest quarterly results Thursday. Wall Street's affinity for the tech giant faltered in response. The top line numbers from Amazon's second quarter earnings report exceeded Wall Street's projections. The tech company beat expectations with its revenue up 13.3% year over year to $167.7bn. Market experts had estimated the company would report around $162bn in revenue and 9% percent growth. The company's Amazon Web Services cloud computing division reported its sales reached $30.9bn in an increase of 17.5% year over year. However, the company may not meet expectations on its operating income, reporting that it would bring in between $15.5bn and $20.5bn compared with expectations of about $19.4bn. Despite the generally positive revenue numbers, Amazon's share price fell over 3% in after hours trading, a sign investors lacked confidence in the company's immediate future. Amazon's stock was up about 6% so far this year prior to Thursday's earnings call, following a rough first quarter that saw a decline due to uncertainty around how Trump's tariffs would hurt its reliance on international sellers. The administration also criticized Amazon in April following a report that the company planned to itemize tariff-related price increases on its platform. No such itemization appeared on Amazon's marketplace. Amazon's earnings come as the company is engaged in big tech's fevered spending race to dominate the artificial intelligence market. Companies including Google, Meta and Microsoft are pledging to spend tens of billions to advance the technology, while Amazon announced it would spend $100bn in 2025 with the 'vast majority' of that going towards enhancing its AI capabilities. The company's CEO Andy Jassy touted Amazon's AI investments in an earnings press release, claiming that it had deeply integrated AI services into many of its products and operations. 'Our AI progress across the board continues to improve our customer experiences, speed of innovation, operational efficiency, and business growth, and I'm excited for what lies ahead,' Jassy said. Amazon has invested billions of dollars into massive data centers to power its Amazon Web Services cloud business and expand its use of generative AI. In June, it announced a plan to spend $20bn building two facilities in Pennsylvania. Governor Josh Shapiro described it as the largest private sector investment in the state's history. Another Amazon facility in Indiana, the company's biggest yet, stretches over 1,200 acres of land and is set to host at least 30 data centers. Sign up to TechScape A weekly dive in to how technology is shaping our lives after newsletter promotion The e-commerce giant has partnered with Anthropic, one of the biggest artificial intelligence startups to emerge from the recent boom, to increase its stature in the AI world and integrate the technology into its variety of services. Amazon has already invested $8bn in the AI company and may make another multibillion dollar investment soon, according to a Financial Times report from this month. Amazon also struck a deal earlier this year with the New York Times to use some of their content for AI training purposes or for generating summaries with its products like Alexa, with the Wall Street Journal reporting this week that the tech company would pay between $20m and $25m a year for the licensing rights.

US end of parcel tax relief threatens eBay, Etsy trade
US end of parcel tax relief threatens eBay, Etsy trade

Reuters

time21 hours ago

  • Reuters

US end of parcel tax relief threatens eBay, Etsy trade

LONDON/NEW YORK, July 31 (Reuters) - Americans shopping for secondhand, vintage or handmade items on platforms like eBay (EBAY.O), opens new tab and Etsy (ETSY.O), opens new tab face steep customs duties on international purchases next month, potentially hurting trade on those peer-to-peer sites. In a surprise move late on Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the removal of "de minimis" duty-free treatment on parcels under $800 from all countries, starting August 29 - bringing forward a change previously set for July 2027. The acceleration follows pressure from groups that argue the exemption facilitates fentanyl smuggling and has led to a flood of cheap products entering the U.S. duty-free, undermining U.S. retailers and manufacturers. Trump ended duty-free access for low-value parcels from China and Hong Kong at the start of May, disrupting ecommerce flows for online retailers like Shein and Temu. After asking for feedback on widening the removal of de minimis, some U.S. businesses had spoken out against the policy. "These exemptions are a powerful tool that helps small creators, artisans, and makers participate in and navigate cross-border trade," Etsy's global head of public policy and advocacy Jeffrey Zubricki wrote in a submission to Customs and Border Protection in March. "Many American Etsy sellers rely on de minimis to import and export products with key trading partners, sustaining their businesses and generating income to support their families." The majority of Etsy's 5.6 million active sellers and nearly 90 million buyers are in the U.S. Etsy did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. eBay also urged the customs agency to reconsider, arguing that de minimis gives American consumers access to "a global market to find value at lower prices, particularly for used goods and a unique, collectible inventory that is not available domestically". In a results call on Wednesday, eBay CEO Jamie Iannone flagged the elimination of de minimis outside of China as a potential disruption that may impact revenue. eBay did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Goods shipped through the postal system will face one of two tariffs: either an "ad valorem duty" equal to the effective tariff rate of the package's country of origin or, for six months, a specific tariff of $80 to $200 depending on the country of origin's tariff rate. It is the latest headache for small businesses grappling with hefty import tariffs imposed by Trump, driving up costs, forcing many to hike prices and fuelling concerns that Americans will be paying more for everyday goods. "The complexity of doing business with the U.S. has gone to levels nobody could have imagined," said Andrew Wilson, deputy secretary general of the International Chamber of Commerce. He also questioned whether U.S. authorities can handle the tariff collections, potentially leading to delays and backlogs. "Is border trade equipped to manage the checks and duties collection? If not, what happens with customs backlogs? It's a huge additional burden from next month," said Wilson.

Kasikornbank Bank's K Plus app integrates with Google Play
Kasikornbank Bank's K Plus app integrates with Google Play

Finextra

timea day ago

  • Finextra

Kasikornbank Bank's K Plus app integrates with Google Play

Google Play, Ant International's Antom and KASIKORNBANK today announced the launch of K PLUS as a new local payment method on Google Play, marking the first time that a SEA mobile banking app is made available as a payment option in the platform. 0 Google Play gives users one place to find, enjoy and share their favorite apps, games, books and more, for any Android device. K PLUS, operated by KASIKORNBANK, is one of SEA's most widely used mobile banking apps. Its 14 million users on Android devices will be able to pay for global and local digital content on Google Play using their everyday banking app. The rollout also marks the first time that Antom, the unified merchant payment service under Ant International, enables recurring payment capabilities on a banking app to support global enterprise merchants, building on its experience with digital wallets. Antom has been a strategic partner to Google Play in expanding payment options in Asia Pacific (APAC), and continues driving growth in both transaction volumes and user acquisitions With the K PLUS launch, Antom further strengthens its collaboration with Google Play, by adding digital wallets that serve millions of users in the region. Leveraging its AI-driven solutions for payment orchestration, risk management and digital marketing, Antom supports merchants to integrate over 300 payment methods across over 100 currencies in its extensive global acquiring network. The Asia Pacific region leads the world in digital payment adoption, accounting for nearly two-thirds of global digital wallet spend in 2024, according to a Deloitte report . In response to this growth, Antom has helped Google Play enable a growing list of leading payment options including DANA, GCash and Touch 'n Go eWallet since 2022. Google Play and Antom will continue to work together to increase local payment coverage and enhance payment experiences. Beyond payments, Antom also supports Google Play in launching digital campaigns through its A+ Rewards, an in-App digital marketing platform powered by privacy-preserving computing and AI technologies. Embedded within leading e-wallets across Asia, A+Rewards connects Google Play with hundreds of millions of e-wallet users. Over 2023 and 2024, consumers claimed over 20 million Google Play vouchers from A+Rewards on regional e-wallets. Over 14 million K PLUS users on Android devices will be able to make purchases on Google Play, directly through their everyday banking app. 'Google Play is committed to continuously providing the best experience for users and supporting the growth of the digital ecosystem for developers. We're excited to announce that Google Play now supports K PLUS as a new payment option in Thailand,' said Zulfi Rahardian, Head of Google Play Retail & Payments Activation, Southeast Asia.' With this launch, we hope Thai consumers can purchase games, apps, entertainment and digital content more easily through safe, fast, and seamless transactions.' 'At KASIKORNBANK, we are committed to continuously enhancing our digital payment infrastructure to offer our customers a seamless, fast, and secure financial experience. This collaboration with Google Play and Antom expands payment choices for Google Play users in Thailand, allowing them to pay directly for apps and digital content by linking their account with K PLUS. We are proud to be the first bank in Thailand and SEA to enable mobile banking payments on Google Play. Today, we have around 14 million K PLUS users on Android, and our goal is to have more than 1 million linked accounts by the end of 2025,' said Dr. Ketchayong Skowratananont, Executive Vice President of KASIKORNBANK

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store