Hong Kong has become the stage for a groundbreaking payment innovation, as Alipay+, a cross-border digital payment platform by Ant International, and smart glasses maker Meizu completed the world’s first smart glasses-embedded e-wallet transaction using AlipayHK. The move signals a major step towards turning augmented reality (AR) wearables into mainstream mobile payment devices.

In a live demonstration, Meizu’s StarV Snap smart glasses enabled a successful payment using AlipayHK, Hong Kong’s popular superapp. Users were able to pay simply by scanning QR codes or using voice commands—made possible through a suite of technologies from Alipay+ including AI-powered voice interfaces, intent recognition, and voiceprint authentication.

The payment capability, already available in China through a partnership between Alipay and AR headset maker Rokid, is now set for global expansion. Alipay+ confirmed that the smart glasses payment solution will be integrated into partner e-wallets globally starting in 2025.

The technology is powered by Meizu’s AR hardware and Alipay+’s upgraded payment SDK, which is now integrated into all new Meizu smart glasses. Meizu brings its optical waveguide display, voice noise reduction and capture, and camera-based QR code scanning to the table—components crucial to enabling a smooth offline payment experience on wearables.

“The offline payment function of smart glasses launched overseas by Meizu and Alipay+ has set a new technological benchmark for the industry,” said Peng Guo, General Manager of the XR Division at Meizu. “The innovation in the payment scenario has enhanced the practicality and appeal of smart glasses and promoted the progress and development of the AR glasses industry.”

Jiangming Yang, Chief Innovation Officer at Ant International, described the collaboration as a glimpse into the future of mobile payments. “By unlocking payment capabilities, smart glasses will rapidly transform into the next-gen personal device like the mobile phone,” he said. “We look forward to supporting more industry partners with one integration into Alipay+’s premium wallet ecosystem across global markets.”

Alipay+ currently connects more than 1.7 billion users across 36 global e-wallets, national QR schemes, and banking apps, offering access to 100 million merchants in over 70 key markets. The smart glasses solution adds to Alipay+’s expanding ecosystem of tools, which also includes QR-based and card payments through NFC, as well as agentic AI functions via the Alipay+ GenAI Cockpit platform.