Bank of Maldives (BML) has signed two agreements with Weixin Pay and Visit Maldives Corporation, positioning the partnerships as a dual push to strengthen Maldives tourism promotion and accelerate the country’s shift toward more advanced digital payment capabilities.
What was signed and why it matters
BML said a tripartite memorandum of understanding with Weixin Pay and Visit Maldives sets a framework for joint work in tourism marketing, visitor engagement and broader digital initiatives, with a stated focus on delivering a smoother experience for Chinese travellers.
Separately, BML and Weixin Pay agreed to explore new payment technologies, including palm-recognition and “seamless payment” features, aimed at improving accessibility, interoperability and the overall experience for customers and merchants in the Maldives.
Resorts briefed on how to plug into the Weixin ecosystem
Alongside the signings, BML and Weixin Pay hosted a Weixin Pay Ecosystem Sharing Session for leading Maldivian resorts, showcasing how the ecosystem can support digital payment acceptance and service delivery tailored to Chinese guests, described in the event materials as the Maldives’ largest inbound tourism market.
Executive comment and BML’s merchant stack
BML CEO and Managing Director Mohamed Shareef said the partnerships are intended to deliver “innovative and secure payment solutions” for both tourists and merchants, highlighting biometric and seamless payments as key areas of development.
BML also pointed to its broader merchant infrastructure, including support for major card networks and digital wallets, plus tools such as its Merchant Portal and mPOS app for real-time payment requests, transaction monitoring and online store operations.
Bigger picture, Maldives has been building Weixin Pay rails since 2024
The latest agreements build on earlier efforts to widen Weixin Pay acceptance in the Maldives. In May 2024, Visit Maldives and Weixin Pay signed a three-year MoU at ITB China focused on expanding merchant acceptance for Chinese visitors.
BML, meanwhile, announced in May 2024 that Weixin Pay (WeChat Pay overseas) had been introduced across its POS network to enable merchants to accept QR payments more broadly.
