Antom Partners with Affirm to Bring Flexible Pay-Over-Time Options to Global Merchants

Antom, the global merchant payment platform under Ant International, has integrated Affirm to provide US-based merchants with a transparent buy now, pay later (BNPL) solution. This move allows cross-border and domestic sellers to leverage Affirm’s established credit underwriting, helping fintech professionals bridge the gap between high-intent browsing and final conversion through flexible, interest-free payment terms.

What was announced

This month, Antom merchants operating in the United States gain the ability to offer Affirm at checkout. The integration allows customers to select customized biweekly or monthly payment plans for purchases ranging from $35 to $30,000. These plans carry terms from 30 days up to 36 months, with the partnership specifically highlighting the availability of six-month interest-free options.

The service is designed for simplicity, allowing merchants to enable the feature directly through the Antom portal. For the consumer, Affirm utilizes real-time underwriting to tailor offers to specific purchases, ensuring that the full cost is displayed upfront without hidden or late fees. This transparency is a key driver of customer retention, as evidenced by the fact that 96% of Affirm transactions originate from repeat users.

While the initial rollout focuses on the US market, the service is scheduled to be available for customers in the United Kingdom within this year. Beyond these two regions, there are plans to expand the offering to more global markets in the future. This expansion provides a standardized way for international merchants to tap into the North American and European consumer appetite for flexible credit through a single integration point.

"Our merchants are looking for payment options that can support their growth while remaining simple to integrate and familiar to their customers," said Gary Liu, CEO of Antom, Senior Vice President of Ant International. "Affirm is a name their customers recognize and trust, so offering it is an easy call. Bringing Affirm onto our platform can help merchants turn browsers into buyers."

Gary Liu, CEO of Antom and Senior Vice President of Ant International.

The companies involved

Antom serves as the global merchant payment and digitisation platform for Ant International. It focuses on providing integrated payment solutions and digital services to merchants worldwide, often acting as a bridge for businesses looking to scale across borders. The platform is a critical component of Ant International’s strategy to build a more inclusive and efficient global commerce ecosystem, leveraging its deep roots in the Asian fintech landscape to facilitate international trade.

Affirm has established itself as a leader in the North American buy now, pay later sector. Unlike traditional credit products that may rely on compounding interest or late fees, Affirm’s model is built on transparency and fixed payment schedules. The company has become a staple at checkouts for major retailers, positioning itself as a consumer-friendly alternative to credit cards. By focusing on real-time underwriting and merchant growth, Affirm has successfully captured a significant share of the e-commerce market, particularly among demographics who prioritize financial clarity. Both companies have significant footprints in the fintech space, with Antom leveraging its parentage to scale digital infrastructure and Affirm maintaining a strong foothold in the Western retail credit market.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has closely followed the expansion of both entities as they diversify their service offerings. Recently, we covered how Crate & Barrel Holdings Partners with Affirm to Launch Flexible BNPL Payment Options, highlighting Affirm's continued dominance in the home goods sector. Antom has also been active in the AI and infrastructure space; we reported on how Google Gemini and Antom Partner to Scale Google AI Plus Access Across Asia. Furthermore, the platform has been restructuring its regional operations, as seen when Antom Unifies Southeast Asian Leadership to Scale AI-Native Payment Infrastructure and when DOKU Rebrands as Antom Deepens Strategic Investment in Indonesian Fintech Leader.

What this means

This partnership signals a maturation of the BNPL market, where the focus is shifting from pure consumer acquisition to deep infrastructure integration. For Antom, adding a Western heavyweight like Affirm is a tactical necessity to remain competitive for merchants who operate globally but need local trust signals in the US and UK. The industry is seeing increased pressure on "all-in-one" payment platforms to provide sophisticated credit products without the merchant having to manage multiple disparate relationships. As Affirm moves into Antom’s ecosystem, it raises questions for smaller BNPL providers about how they can compete with the scale and data advantages of such massive, cross-continental alliances.