Merchant Acquisition Lead

Introduction:

Ant International powers the future of global commerce with digital innovation for everyone and every business to thrive. In close collaboration with partners, we support merchants of all sizes worldwide to realize their growth aspirations through a comprehensive range of tech-driven digital payment and financial services solutions.

Ant International strives to become the most trusted digital services connector to achieve sustainable growth of global commerce.

With a focus on Travel, Trade, Technology, and Talent, Ant International is committed to enhancing the digital mindset and capacities of businesses worldwide. Through fostering collaborative efforts with partners, we are driving responsible innovation and increase market accessibility for global SMEs.

We do so across our 4 key businesses: Alipay+, Antom, WorldFirst and ANEXT Bank.

What you’ll do:

As a Business Development Manager, you will drive merchant acquisition, store activation, and growth for Alipay+ in Italy, with a strong focus on offline retail and key merchant accounts.

Known as borderless payment, Alipay+ is accepted by global merchants online and in-store across over 55 countries and regions for convenient payment at home and abroad. It connects millions of global merchants with over 1 billion users of mobile payment app.

Alipay+ takes away the hassle of individual mobile payment app integration - a single integration is all it takes. Created by one of the leading figures in the mobile payment industry, Alipay+ brings more global business opportunities through reliable and pioneering solutions.

Our vision is to provide more inclusive and convenient payment and financial solutions for global cross-border consumers and sellers, you will be a key member of Ant Group international team to help achieve company’s global vision.

Key responsibilities include:

- Own the end-to-end sales cycle for Alipay+ in-store payment and marketing solutions, from lead generation to go-live and post-launch performance.
- Acquire and manage key merchant accounts, including retail chains, premium brands, and high-traffic tourist merchants.
- Work closely with acquiring partners, ISOs, and payment service providers to distribute Alipay+ to selected merchants.
- Plan, coordinate, and execute store activations, including:
- Store visits and merchant engagement
- POSM deployment and visibility checks
- Payment testing and staff training
- Drive merchant growth by supporting marketing campaigns, promotions, and daily operations, increasing transaction volume and user penetration.
- Build strong relationships with merchant decision-makers (owners, HQ teams, operations) and acquiring partners at both strategic and operational levels.
- Monitor merchant and acquirer performance, identify gaps, and propose concrete improvement actions.
- Coordinate with internal teams (marketing, operations, finance, legal, compliance, product & tech) across Europe and HQ to ensure smooth onboarding and execution.
- Support partnerships with brands, retailers, marketing partners, institutions, and trade associations, under the guidance of senior BD leadership.
- Contribute to local ecosystem visibility, including support for media, PR, and industry initiatives promoting Alipay+.

What We’re Looking For

We’re looking for a hands-on, commercially driven BD profile with a hunter mindset and strong execution capability.

Requirements:

1. Proven experience in sales or business development, ideally in payments, fintech, retail, or digital platforms.
2. Experience managing key account merchants and/or retail stores, including negotiation and relationship management.
3. Solid understanding of offline and online payments, including card payments and alternative Payment Methods (wallets, QR payments, BNPL, A2A).
4. Familiarity with merchant acquiring models, acquirers, ISOs, and payment ecosystems.
5. Strong communication and persuasion skills, with a hunter mentality and result-oriented attitude.
6. Comfortable working in a fast-paced, international environment, adapting quickly to strategic changes.
7. Knowledge of mobile payments, digital marketing, and in-store activation is a strong plus.
8. Well-connected with major European KeyAccounts and ecosystem players (e.G. major acquirers, payment platforms, digital and retail providers …), with C-level and operational relationships with major global acquirers and key merchants.
9. Understanding of Asian / Chinese consumer payment behaviors and cross-border shopping or travel retail is a plus.
10. Team player with strong ownership, autonomy, and execution mindset.
11. On-the-ground experience in or with retail industry is a plus.

Experience & Languages:

- Solid and relevant experience in merchant development, sales, or BD (mid-level profile).
- Italian: native or fluent
- English: fluent
- Other European or Asian languages (i.E. Mandarin Chinese) are a plus.

Why Join Us

- Be part of a global fintech leader shaping the future of cross-border payments.
- Work at the intersection of payments, retail, and international commerce.
- High-impact role with direct ownership of merchant activation and growth in Italy.
- Exposure to international teams across Europe and Asia, with strong learning and growth opportunities.