OCBC and Visa Direct: Opening a new world of payments

In Asia Pacific, change in payments isn’t something on the horizon; it’s already happening. And nowhere is that more evident than in how people send money across borders.

Today’s customers expect remittances to be fast, simple, secure and transparent. Long wait times, complex forms and high fees no longer fit the way people live and work.

Through its Pay-to-Wallet service, OCBC now enables customers to send money quickly and securely from their banking app directly into popular digital wallets across Asia Pacific. As a result, OCBC now offers one of the most comprehensive suites of cross-border payment services in Singapore. It’s a game-changing experience for customers, tackling key remittance challenges – speed, cost and accessibility – especially for the region’s large unbanked population.

Unlocking near-instant transfers to digital wallets

As the second-largest financial services group in Southeast Asia by assets,¹ OCBC has long focused on strengthening the region’s business and financial ecosystem. Its mission is clear: to enable people and communities to realise their aspirations.

Consider, for example, Singapore’s 1.5 million migrant workers.² For them, remittances are more than just transactions, they are a vital link to their home and families across Asia Pacific. Yet for many, sending money has traditionally meant delays, inflated costs and complicated processes.

In 2024, OCBC became the first bank in Asia Pacific to launch a Pay-to-Wallet service, allowing customers to send near-instant peer-to-peer transfers to two of China’s most widely used digital wallets: Weixin Pay (WeChat Pay) and Alipay.

The experience was simple. Customers only needed the recipient’s national identification name and mobile number; no bank account details were needed.

Reaching multiple markets with Visa Direct

OCBC launched a new Pay-to-Wallet service that would make it possible for the bank’s customers to make near-instant, secure transfers to digital wallets across multiple markets through the OCBC app. The partnership with Visa Direct helped turn these goals into a reality.

Across Asia Pacific, digital apps have become the preferred channel for remittances, with more than 70% of users preferring to send and receive money digitally.³

Visa Direct’s commercialization and implementation teams worked closely with OCBC to map the entire end-to-end journey, from the moment a customer submits a payment instruction in the app, through transaction screening and backend processing, to final delivery into the recipient’s digital wallet.

The result was a regional-first Pay-to-Wallet service that completes transfers in seconds.

OCBC has expanded its Pay-to-Wallet service to include nine additional digital wallets across Southeast Asia, making it the most comprehensive bank account to wallet transfer platform in the region. These include Coins, GCash and PayMaya (now Maya) in the Philippines; DANA, GoPay, OVO and LinkAja in Indonesia; MoMo in Vietnam; and TNG eWallet in Malaysia.

Delivering a better customer experience at scale

Today, OCBC’s Pay‑to‑Wallet service offers customers speed, simplicity and reach; all from within their banking app. Funds are transferred and completed typically under a minute, without the need to visit physical remittance outlets or handle cash.

For workers and employers alike, it’s a simpler, safer, and more inclusive way to move money across borders.