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Deutsche Bank and Ant International have announced an expanded strategic partnership aimed at delivering integrated cross-border payment solutions for businesses across Europe and Asia. The collaboration, formalised with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on 8 June in Munich, builds on a client relationship established in 2019.
Under the new agreement, Deutsche Bank will become the first German bank to facilitate Ant International’s blockchain-based real-time treasury management platform, enabling real-time fund transfers between Ant International’s intragroup entities. This development is expected to increase efficiency and transparency in global treasury management for Ant International.
The partnership will see Deutsche Bank working closely with Ant International’s Embedded Finance unit on a series of innovations in global treasury management and cross-border payments. These include the exploration of tokenized deposits, stablecoins, and the deployment of Ant International’s Time-Series Transformer (TST) FX Model, which leverages artificial intelligence for currency forecasting.
A key focus of the collaboration is the joint development of cross-border payment solutions, such as tokenized bank deposits and stablecoins, as well as Ant International’s Falcon TST FX Model. These initiatives aim to help Ant International and its clients reduce foreign exchange-related costs and risks. Both companies are also exploring the wider applications of stablecoins for global payments, including real-time cross-border treasury management, reserve management, and on-ramp and off-ramp services.
Deutsche Bank will further scale its work with Antom, Ant International’s merchant payment and digitization services provider, to expand Antom’s acquiring solutions for merchants in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). This will allow merchants in the region to integrate more payment solutions seamlessly.
Additionally, Deutsche Bank will support WorldFirst, an Ant International subsidiary, by providing access to its global network. This will enable WorldFirst to enhance its suite of payment solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) engaged in e-commerce and cross-border trade, including account collections, payments, and FX services.
Ole Matthiessen, Head of Corporate Bank and Cash Management, Deutsche Bank
Ole Matthiessen, Head of Corporate Bank APAC & MEA and Global Head of Cash Management for Deutsche Bank, commented:
“We are delighted to strategically cooperate with Ant International. We will leverage our broad product capabilities and strong global network to deliver seamless and secure payment solutions to Ant International and its customers in Europe and Asia. Given the dynamic landscape of financial services, we see great potential to collaborate with Ant International, as one of the world’s leading financial technology providers, to develop innovative payment solutions and transform the future of treasury management.”
Kelvin Li, General Manager at Ant International
Kelvin Li, General Manager of Platform Tech at Ant International, stated:
“With a dynamic fintech landscape, Europe is fast-becoming a key hub for global digital payment innovation. We are pleased to deepen our commitment to the region through this collaboration with Deutsche Bank, supporting the development of more seamless, secure and inclusive cross border payment solutions. By combining our digital and payment capabilities with a global leading financial institution, we aim to deliver enhanced payment experiences that meet the evolving needs of global businesses and consumers.”
Industry voices have noted the significance of such partnerships in the evolving fintech landscape. Speaking to the importance of collaboration, a fintech analyst commented, “Strategic alliances like this are crucial for driving innovation and delivering the next generation of payment solutions, especially as businesses demand faster, more secure, and more transparent cross-border transactions.” Another payments industry observer remarked, “The integration of blockchain and AI technologies by established banking institutions signals a major step forward in the digital transformation of global finance.”
Deutsche Bank is Germany’s leading bank, offering a broad range of services in retail and private banking, corporate and transaction banking, lending, asset and wealth management, and investment banking, supported by a strong European foundation and global network.
Ant International, headquartered in Singapore, operates across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America, providing digital payment, digitization, and fintech solutions to financial institutions and merchants worldwide. Its subsidiary, Antom, enables merchants to accept over 300 payment methods in more than 200 markets and 100 currencies, while WorldFirst offers payment and FX solutions for SMEs engaged in international trade.
