-
The Clarivate list ranks the organizations at the forefront of technology research and innovation worldwide.
-
Ant Group has made the list for the fourth consecutive year, with 34,576 patent applications worldwide, 97% of which are invention patents.
HANGZHOU, China, March 13, 2025–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Ant Group has been recognized for the fourth consecutive year as one of the Top 100 Global Innovators 2025 by Clarivate, a global leader in providing transformative intelligence, identifies and ranks organizations leading the world in technology research and innovation. This recognition reaffirms Ant Group’s ongoing commitment to excellence in innovation, particularly in AI and other critical digital technologies.
Gordon Samson, President, Intellectual Property, Clarivate, said, “Being recognized as a Top 100 Global Innovator is a remarkable achievement given the pace of change – since 2000, we’ve seen an 80-fold increase in the volume of inventions. Competition is more global than ever before, and developments in one region can have a significant global impact. Ant Group has demonstrated extraordinary influence in the industry and achieved significant innovative success on a global scale. We congratulate Ant Group for being named a Top 100 Global Innovator for four consecutive years.”
In recent years, Ant Group has significantly increased its investment in technology, particularly in AI, to drive innovation for consumers, small businesses, and partners. Its latest sustainability report shows that R&D spending reached RMB 21.19 billion (USD 2.9 billion) in 2023. As of November 2024, the company had filed 34,576 patent applications globally, with 97% being invention patents.
In 2024, Ant Group launched a series of AI-powered services to enhance user experience, including various AI assistants for everyday services, personal investment, and healthcare. For businesses, Antom Copilot was launched as the world’s first AI agent designed to simplify the payment integration and orchestration process for merchants, while Antom Shield uses advanced AI to strengthen fraud detection, optimize conversion rates and drive growth.
To ensure the security and validation of Generative AI, Ant Group has collaborated with leading tech companies and institutions, including OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft, to develop two international industry standards: the “Generative AI Application Security Testing and Validation Standard” and the “Large Language Model Security Testing Method”.
Beyond AI, Ant Group introduced Alipay Tap! in July 2024 to simplify the experience for both businesses and consumers. This feature speeds up in-store mobile payments by allowing users to tap their unlocked phones against a merchant’s USB checkout device, significantly enhancing merchant checkout efficiency, especially during peak hours. In addition to payments, Alipay Tap! simplifies access to a wide range of everyday services. For example, users can tap to order food at restaurants, unlock vending machines, rent power banks, and more. As of November 2024, Alipay Tap! has been adopted by businesses in over 100 major cities across China, available in over 1,000 shopping malls and commercial districts.
