Mobile payment leader Alipay+ has launched the country’s first overseas e-wallet tax refund service. Initially benefiting Hong Kong users, the service will be expanded to all global users in the future, further facilitating overseas tourists’ spending on the Chinese mainland.

Ant Group’s global wallet platform Alipay+ announced the service's initial launch in Shenzhen on Monday through AlipayHK. The initiative is in collaboration with Guangdong Huaxing Bank -- a departure tax refund agency -- with the support of the Shenzhen Tax Bureau and the Shenzhen branch of the People’s Bank of China.

Alipay+ will also expand the service this year to include its other overseas e-wallets, such as KakaoPay in South Korea and GCash in the Philippines, with plans to eventually cover all Alipay+ partner wallets, benefiting tens of millions of visitors to China.

From Monday, Hong Kong shoppers who’ve made purchases at any of the more than 1,500 tax refund stores in Shenzhen can present their tax refund forms at the city’s centralized refund points or six boundary-crossing refund counters to complete either instant refunds or standard departure refunds.

Refunds will be issued in Hong Kong dollars and deposited directly into users' AlipayHK accounts. They can be used for consumption, payment and public transportation in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong residents had previously relied mainly on credit cards or cash for tax refunds when going on trips, which involved complex processes, long fund transfer cycles and losses from currency exchange.

In addition, from Monday until Sept 26, AlipayHK users can enjoy discounts on their first 10 purchases on the mainland. They can also receive discounts of up to 1,988 yuan ($279) at popular shopping malls and merchants there.

According to AlipayHK, over two million Hong Kong people made purchases on the mainland using the e-wallet last year.

Shenzhen is accelerating its development as a benchmark city for tax refunds. Currently, the city has over 1,500 tax refund stores, with the highest number and variety of tax refund ports in the country. It also leads the nation in the scale of centralized refund points.

According to official data, in the first seven months of this year, Shenzhen’s tax refund product sales reached 584 million yuan, up 200 percent year-on-year. “Instant refund” products accounted for 75.042 million yuan, reflecting a year-on-year increase of over 2,500 percent.