8B, a cross-border QR payment provider focused on emerging markets across Asia, has launched Weixin Pay acceptance for merchants throughout Kazakhstan.
Chinese tourist arrivals in Kazakhstan exceeded 876,000 visitors in 2025 (11 months), surpassing the full-year total of 655,000 recorded in 2024. 2025 has been officially designated the Year of Chinese Tourism in Kazakhstan, with both countries implementing bilateral initiatives to expand travel flows. The average Chinese tourist spends around $1,000 per trip, with the total contribution to Kazakhstan’s economy in 2025 estimated at $500 million.
What Weixin Pay Integration Means for Merchants
Through integration with 8B, Kazakhstani merchants become eligible to appear in the Weixin Pay Global Gift Pack mini-program, an in-app feature within Weixin/WeChat that recommends partner merchants to Chinese users during their international travels. Meaning they gain visibility within the Weixin/WeChat ecosystem itself.
For any merchant being featured in Global Gift Pack is comparable to receiving a native recommendation inside an app that travelers open dozens of times a day throughout their trip.
Kazakhstan: The Numbers Behind the Launch
In 2024, Kazakhstan welcomed 28.6 million international visitors. Direct air connectivity between China and Kazakhstan has expanded significantly, with flights operating to Almaty, Astana, and regional destinations. While infrastructure for hosting Chinese tourists has been developing quickly, the infrastructure needed to capture and convert their spending, particularly payment acceptance, has lagged behind. 8B was built to close this gap.
First Partners and Market Coverage
Merchants in education, tourism and entertainment are being onboarded in Almaty and Astana, the two cities with the largest influx of Chinese visitors. The platform was designed for scale from the outset: any merchant in Kazakhstan can connect Weixin Pay through 8B without the technical or compliance barriers that historically made cross-border acquiring inaccessible for small and medium-sized businesses. In Kazakhstan, this is supported through Zesta LLP, a licensed local payment organization (License No. 02-23-179), ensuring full regulatory compliance for every transaction.
“Kazakhstan is experiencing a real boom in Chinese tourism, and the merchants who benefit most will be those who allow guests to pay the way they do at home. For Chinese travelers, Weixin Pay is not an alternative payment method — it is part of everyday life. The mission of 8B is to ensure Kazakhstani businesses keep pace with this demand rather than losing it due to payment infrastructure limitations.”
— Bogdan Zadorozhny, Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, 8B
“Kazakhstan is exactly the type of market where Weixin Pay creates immediate and measurable value for Chinese travelers. When our users travel abroad, they expect the same seamless payment experience they enjoy at home. Through our partnership with 8B, merchants across tourism, HoReCa, and retail in Kazakhstan can now meet this expectation and position themselves directly in front of millions of Chinese consumers choosing Central Asia as their next destination. We are proud to support Kazakhstan’s rise as a top destination for Chinese tourists.”
— Deven Chen, Director, WeChat Pay Business Group for Northeast Asia and Central Asia
