Ant International’s WorldFirst has launched World Card, a Mastercard-enabled virtual card solution designed to help SMEs grow by simplifying global transactions and lowering operational costs. Small businesses stand to benefit from the e-commerce boom, where market size is projected to reach US$12.9 trillion in 2032 with a 13.65% CAGR[1]. However, they also face a set of challenges to capitalise on the broad industry potential, including high entry barriers, rising operational costs, and fierce competition, a Deloitte-WorldFirst report has found.
Having empowered over one million SMEs to scale their businesses internationally, WorldFirst has partnered with Mastercard to develop for World Card the following customised features to enhance global operational efficiency for customers:
• Global coverage across regions and use scenarios: Customers can pay with World Card for purchases anywhere Mastercard is accepted, in 150+ currencies across 210+ countries and regions. There are no foreign exchange fees in cross-border payments with 15 major currencies when paying from WorldFirst account balance, including USD, CNH, EUR, GBP, JPY, SGD HKD, AUD, NZD, and CAD. The service covers most recurring business scenarios, ranging from digital marketing on e-commerce sites, software subscriptions, shipping and logistics.
• Security: World Card has obtained the highest-level certification of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), uses 3DS/AVS transaction verifications, 24/7 real-time assistance, and spending limits to safeguard transactions and prevent fraud.
• Transparent and centralised multi-card management: Customers may create multiple cards for specific expenses, teams or projects later this year. All spending can be tracked in one central dashboard, enabling precise control over expenditure.
• Cashback rewards program: Cashback on every eligible payment helps customers save and grow.
The World Card complements the comprehensive offerings on the World Account, the flagship product of WorldFirst offering global payment, collection, foreign exchange conversion, and treasury management from a single account.
2025 will see a full-scale rollout of the World Card to markets across Asia, Europe, Oceania and Africa. World Card will also begin to support Apple Pay and Google Pay in the coming months.
A physical World Card is coming in 2025, enabling in-person transactions while serving as a backup when digital payments aren’t possible. The physical card retains the digital version’s benefits, including multi-currency support, cashback and security through unified platform management – while ensuring compatibility with chip-card POS terminals.
Annabella Sonwelly, founder of Singapore’s Annabella Patisserie Macarons says: “Benefiting from World Account and World Card, which offers saving of time and money, we can invest in other aspects of the business – to enhance our product quality through R&D, operational efficiency. By doing that, we can provide better customer satisfaction and give us a competitive advantage, which is key to our long-term business growth.”
“With the launch of the World Card, WorldFirst and Mastercard are giving ambitious businesses a smarter way to manage spending. Today’s small businesses often have global ambitions, but outdated payment processes can hold them back. The new solution offers the ease, security, and international reach they need to scale without borders. Together, we’re helping them simplify operations, stay on top of spending, and expand into new markets,” says Jane Prokop, executive vice president and global head of small and medium enterprises at Mastercard.
“WorldFirst enables business growth by delivering solutions featuring global coverage, secure transactions and operational efficiency—essential foundations for SMEs’ success in today’s digital economy. We look forward to deepening our collaboration with Mastercard and industry leaders to pioneer innovative solutions like World Card, empowering SMEs and drive inclusive growth”, says Clara Shi, CEO of WorldFirst and vice president of Ant International.
WorldFirst is part of Ant International, a leading global digital payment, digitisation and financial technology provider offering a unified techfin platform to unlock next-gen commerce for all.
