Ant Financial targets global customers

Online payment firm's president is hoping to boost user base to 2 billion within 10 years

Ant Financial Services Group, a leading Chinese internet payment platform, has attracted 450 million customers, about one-third of the country's population, by offering a range of convenient digital services, from paying for purchases online to providing small loans to investing idle money that can earn yields higher than those offered by traditional banks.

Now, the company hopes to replicate its success in China in the wider world, especially in developing countries, and has a goal of boosting user numbers to 2 billion within 10 years, said Eric Jing, Ant Financial's president.