AI is Driving 'Inclusive E-commerce': Payment Connectivity Meets Efficiency and Trust

(Ebrun Original) On September 24, at the roundtable dialogue during the launch ceremony of the 'Silk Road E-commerce Day' and the 'Silk Road E-commerce' resource matching meeting at the 5th Global Digital Trade Expo, Zhong Yi, Vice President of Lianlian Digital, shared practical insights on topics such as cross-border payment networks, AI-powered merchant services, and intelligent risk control.

Zhong Yi pointed out that cross-border e-commerce involves a long and complex operational chain—from product listing, advertising, logistics payments, and capital flow to customer service and returns—many of which still heavily rely on manual processes. Payments run through all these stages, and AI can assist merchants in completing tasks and improving operational efficiency. Leveraging capabilities such as KYC (Know Your Customer), KYA (Know Your Agent), and intelligent financial routing, AI also strengthens the security and mutual trust in cross-border transactions.

This article is compiled based on the on-site recording of the roundtable dialogue, with slight edits made without altering the original meaning.

Below are the key points from Zhong Yi's remarks:

01

Cross-border payment must first ensure the secure flow of funds

Lianlian Digital is a global payment and financial platform. Over the past decade or so, we have mainly served small and medium-sized enterprises and large export enterprises in the cross-border trade and cross-border e-commerce sectors, helping them manage the flow of funds from overseas to domestic markets and vice versa.

To date, Lianlian has served over 13 million business entities and has local offices in 13 countries. As of June 30, 2026, Lianlian Digital holds 68 global payment licenses and related qualifications, including a Hong Kong Virtual Asset Trading Platform (VATP) license. The core of these initiatives is to ensure that cross-border funds move securely within a compliant framework, providing stable payment services to enterprises across various markets and platforms.

02

AI connects the 'small things' in cross-border operations

When serving cross-border e-commerce enterprises, we see many small, concrete tasks. Merchants need to list products, pay for advertising and logistics, handle customer service and returns, and connect multiple e-commerce platforms—many of which still depend on manual work. Payments have already linked many of these actions, and AI can further enhance collaborative efficiency on this foundation.

For many countries in the 'Silk Road E-commerce' cooperation, AI may also bring about a process of 'inclusive e-commerce.' In the past, some regions had weaker internet and e-commerce infrastructure; now, with compliance to local regulations and data security requirements, they can draw on mature experience and implement regional, customized applications.

03

Transforming risk control from a cost center into a trust-building capability

In risk control and intelligent financial routing, we began applying related technologies several years ago. Currently, Lianlian uses long-accumulated data in KYC and KYA processes, developing specialized AI agents and tools. The direct value is helping businesses build trust more quickly when connecting with different banks and fund networks.

With more data support, we can determine why a transaction is compliant and secure, and whether the underlying trade is genuine. This helps prevent forged documents and money laundering risks while improving the efficiency of cross-border fund handling. In the future, we aim to further develop KYC and KYA capabilities into proprietary products to serve global partners.

This article was first published on the official website of Ebrun.