In anticipation of combining Alipay and ApplePay services, which has been publicly discussed by Jack Ma and Tim Cook previously, Alibaba launched its latest mobile application that enables iPhone users to make payments using fingerprints.
Biometric passwords are considered safe and easy to use compared to conventional passwords, which are difficult to maintain and remember. Analysts foresee the alliance between Alipay and iPhone to grow further in the process.
As per the official announcement by Alipay, iPhone 5S, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be enabled with fingerprint payment function as users upgrade their Alipay Wallet app to version 8.4. As estimated, almost all Apple users are going to accept this facility.
The e-commerce giant, which has millions of users in China, also declared that it is stepping up its research facilities further. It is aiming at making mobile payments possible just by a wink or face-recognition basis.
Alibaba Group will also foray into the world of possibilities in true sense by gradually linking with worldwide Apple users. The same logic also applies to Apple, which faces stiff competition from Samsung and Xiaomi and had failed to fetch a license to operate wallet services in China.
Chinese customers are all set to benefit by being able to shop on U.S. e-commerce portals. The same goes for Alipay, which will gain more customers by allowing Apple users in the U.S. to pay using their platform.
As the world's economy goes through an e-commerce business boom, this team-up is seen as a move for future growth for both Alipay and Alibaba by tapping into wider market bases.