26 February 2026
Kuala Lumpur: CIMB Group Holdings Berhad (“CIMB” or “the Group”) and Ant International today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) to jointly explore innovations in cross-border payments and treasury and liquidity management solutions.
The comprehensive partnership will see CIMB collaborating with Ant International’s key businesses including Alipay+, Antom and Bettr Treasury, across the Group’s integrated capabilities in cash management, treasury and markets solutions, credit and financing facilities, capital markets activities and sustainability-related initiatives.
Under the MOU, CIMB and Ant International will also jointly develop a digital framework to enhance the treasury and liquidity operations of both parties, by leveraging Ant International’s next-generation blockchain-based treasury management solution, subject to regulatory frameworks and approvals.
The framework aims to strengthen capital efficiency, transparency and cross-border liquidity optimisation, reinforcing the resilience and competitiveness of both sides’ regional financial ecosystems to better serve its customers in Malaysia.
Novan Amirudin, Group Chief Executive Officer, CIMB said, “The partnership marks a milestone in our Forward30 strategy, where innovation is embedded into the core of how we operate and compete. Our collaboration with Ant International enables us to accelerate the institutional adoption of distributed ledger technology within the treasury ecosystem. This positions CIMB at the forefront of building scalable, future ready digital financial infrastructure innovation across ASEAN, while strengthening our ability to deliver greater efficiency, transparency and cross-border connectivity for our clients.”
Douglas Feagin, President of Ant International said, “We are pleased to partner with CIMB, who shares our goal of leveraging technology for seamless and inclusive cross-border payments. By combining our strengths, we will scale the institutional adoption of tokenisation—a key pillar of next-generation financial infrastructure—to create a more efficient and inclusive financial ecosystem for businesses in Malaysia.”
The MOU reflects both parties’ shared ambition to advance responsible digital innovation while maintaining strong governance. CIMB and Ant International will advance the development of the framework with a focus on scalable and practical implementation that supports evolving institutional treasury needs across the region.
This initiative further reinforces CIMB’s commitment to advancing customers and society by strengthening digital financial infrastructure through tokenisation, building on its recently announced participation in Bank Negara Malaysia’s Digital Assets Innovation Hub and its broader Forward30 digital transformation agenda.
