TMTPOST — Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation has signed a memorandum of understanding with Ant International to cooperate on cross-border payments and mutual business expansion, focusing on Japan, Singapore and Southeast Asia. Under the agreement, SMBC will support Ant International’s optimization of cross-border payments and treasury management. The two sides will also explore technical and commercial collaboration between SMBC’s digital payment solutions and Ant International’s Whale RTP Platform. The partnership marks the first such memorandum between Ant International and one of Japan’s three major banks.