New platform integrates payments, banking, AI tools to accelerate SME digitalisation across Southeast Asia
Small businesses across Southeast Asia are facing rising competition, tighter margins, and growing digital demands. A new all-in-one platform launched in Singapore aims to simplify how merchants operate, manage payments, and scale efficiently in an increasingly cashless economy.
A Unified Platform for SME Operations
Payments and digital solutions provider Epos has launched Epos360, a new app designed to consolidate essential merchant services into a single platform. The app integrates point-of-sale systems, payments, banking, lending services, and artificial intelligence-powered tools such as Copilot, business insights, and analytics. The move directly addresses a long-standing pain point for small merchants who often rely on multiple service providers to run their businesses.
Introducing BlueTap for Faster Payments
Alongside the app, Epos introduced Epos360 BlueTap in Singapore, an over-the-counter payment device that supports multiple payment methods, including QR codes and card payments, in one terminal. The device offers clear audio confirmation at checkout, giving merchants immediate assurance that transactions are successful. This feature reduces missed payments and manual verification, especially during peak operating hours.
Expansion Backed by Ant International
The Singapore launch in January follows Epos360’s earlier rollout in Malaysia and forms part of Ant International’s broader strategy to accelerate SME digitalisation across Southeast Asia. Ant International acquired Epos in May for an undisclosed sum. Epos currently serves more than 6,000 merchants in Singapore. Ant International’s ecosystem includes Alipay+, digital bank Anext, and merchant digitalisation provider Antom.
Addressing an Underserved SME Market
Speaking at a media briefing in Thailand, Ant International president Douglas Feagin said Epos360 helps SMEs reduce time to market and manage operations more efficiently. He noted that many SMEs remain underserved when it comes to comprehensive digital services, with existing solutions often fragmented across different providers rather than unified into a single system.
Falling Costs, Rising Access
Feagin also highlighted improvements in POS technology and declining hardware costs as a key opportunity. Historically, high terminal costs excluded many SMEs from adopting digital payment systems. Advances in technology and lower costs have now made adoption more accessible, allowing providers like Epos to target smaller merchants previously left out of the digital economy.
Digitalisation as a Business Necessity
Epos chief executive and Ant International vice-president Alan Wang said digitalisation is no longer optional for SMEs operating in competitive markets. By equipping merchants with the right technology, Epos aims to help them unlock new growth opportunities. In its first phase, Epos360 will focus on SMEs in Singapore’s retail and food and beverage sectors.
Regional Rollout and Ecosystem Reach
Epos360 was launched in Malaysia on January 15 as a mini-program within Touch ’n Go eWallet, the country’s leading digital wallet. Through features such as Near Me vouchers, Malaysian merchants can reach more than 25 million users while managing payments and operations within one system. The platform is expected to expand to additional Southeast Asian markets in the coming phases.
The launch of Epos360 signals a growing push toward integrated digital solutions for SMEs across Southeast Asia. For businesses in Singapore and Indonesia, the platform highlights how regional fintech players are lowering barriers to digital adoption, improving operational efficiency, and enabling smaller merchants to compete in a rapidly evolving cashless and data-driven economy.
Sources: Straits Times (2026)
Keywords: Epos360, SME Digitalisation, Point Of Sale Systems, Ant International, Cashless Payments
