OFFICIAL PAYMENT PARTNER OF UEFA EURO 2024™

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World Account

An all-in-one multi-currency account that helps businesses grow globally.

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Including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Morocco and 100+ other countries across 6 continents.

Fast & secure 1688 supplier payments

Source products from one of China’s leading online B2B marketplaces. Then, pay 1688.com suppliers quickly and securely with WorldFirst’s payment solution.

Sign up now

Lower your supplier costs

Get a competitive exchange rate with competitive margins and transparent fees

Secure

Enjoy a fully compliant flow of funds to make 1688.com supplier payments

No limits on payment size

Make payments of all sizes, with no minimum or maximum transaction size

Fast payments

Keep your supply chain moving with instant payments

What is 1688.com?

1688 is one of China’s leading online B2B marketplaces for businesses dealing with wholesale, sourcing and dropshipping.

Facts about 1688:

  • 120 million registered users
  • 10 million suppliers
  • 1,700 sub-categories

What is World Pay?

World Pay is a service provided by 1688.com and Ant Group. It is an exclusive one-stop cross-border solution for international 1688 buyers outside of mainland China.

How to use World Pay:

  1. Register for a 1688.com account
  2. Register for a World Account by WorldFirst
  3. Top up or convert to CNH funds into your World Account
  4. Authorise World Account to link your payments to 1688.com via World Pay

*This payment solution is available to users in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, British Virgin Islands only. 

See full guide

Why source from 1688.com?

Competitive pricing

  • A marketplace that can offer a wide variety of products at competitive wholesale prices

Marketplace support

  • Support global selling on Amazon, Wish, AliExpress, Lazada, Shopee 
  • Orders can be delivered directly to multiple major marketplaces’ warehouses in China
  • Alternatively, work with logistic companies that support international delivery

Wide selection of products

  • Comprehensive coverage of the suppliers on 1688.com
  • Allow direct outreach to factories to discuss product requirements 
  • Widely support OEM model

FAQs

No, with a World Account, you can pay suppliers on 1688.com directly through the ‘World Pay’ function.

Once your accounts are set up, the payment will arrive almost immediately. 

There are a few advantages.

  1. Savings on exchange rate cost – WorldFirst charges a lower margin compared to local banks.
  2. Secure – Enjoy a fully compliant flow of funds to make 1688.com supplier payments.
  3. Faster transfers – Payments will typically be completed within the same day.

Trusted by our customers

HEAR FROM OUR CUSTOMERS

“Love the Kuajingbao (World Pay) feature, saved all my hassles looking for a payment agent every time. Enjoyed correspondence with WorldFirst team as well with queries always well clarified.”

Jimmy Tan

Amazon seller

HEAR FROM OUR CUSTOMERS

“Ever since my company used WorldFirst and World Pay, our procurement process has improved in terms of efficiency and cost. Stable platform, transparent pricing. Highly recommended!”

Thomas

Founder of Masoglobal

Beginner's guide to using 1688.com

How to make payments to 1688.com suppliers as an international buyer

Download our guide

Download the Ultimate Guide to Sourcing on 1688.com as an International Buyer






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Paying suppliers in China and building trust through using WorldFirst

A new lighting and switches company is now a thriving business after launching in 2020. Learn how they use WorldFirst to streamline operations and remain competitive.

Businesses Trust WorldFirst

  • Almost 1,000,000 business have sent $300B around the world with WorldFirst and its partner brands since 2004
    Your money is safeguarded with leading financial institutions

What our customers say

Trustpilot

Sessions for all

  • 16:00PM

Taking the e out of e-commerce: What it takes to go omnichannel

Expanding beyond e-commerce and into physical stores changes everything. You'll need to rethink your strategy, from logistics to branding to the customer experience. Learn what it takes to bridge the gap between digital and physical retail while avoiding common pitfalls.

Key takeaways:

  • Knowing the right time to expand offline
  • Different commercial models
  • How to maintain a strong identity across all channels
  • Logistics and supply chain challenges
  • Adjusting your online strategy for an omnichannel approach

Sessions for all

  • 13:30PM

The TikTok takeover that e-commerce can’t ignore

TikTok is reshaping how people discover and buy products. With TikTok Shop gaining serious traction, e-commerce businesses have a unique opportunity to turn viral moments into real sales. In this session, TikTok growth experts will unpack how to turn views into conversions.

Key takeaways:

  • Forget your usual sales funnel – how TikTok buyers behave
  • The winning formula of organic vs paid
  • What successful brands are doing to drive sales
  • How to make live shopping work for you
  • Ways to go viral (without spending a fortune)

Sessions for all

  • 13:00PM

Prices up, margins down: Tackling inflation without sinking

Running a global business means constantly adapting to rising costs – whether that's inflation, shipping, taxes or supply chain disruptions. While price hikes are inevitable, smart financial decisions will keep your business moving forward. A leading economist will break down key cost trends, economic shifts and what businesses should do to prepare for the year.

Key takeaways:

  • How much are you really losing?
  • Planning your currency conversions
  • Expense management tools
  • Simple tweaks to improve profitability
  • Steps to maintain cashflow clarity

Sessions for all

  • 09:30AM

Where’s your money going? Fix the leaks

Selling more doesn’t guarantee higher profits – how you manage your money does. If you're not paying attention, hidden fees, bad FX rates and unchecked expenses will put a dent in your business. Your money should be working for you, not leaking away in unnecessary costs.

Key takeaways:

  • How much are you really losing?
  • Planning your currency conversions
  • Expense management tools
  • Simple tweaks to improve profitability
  • Steps to maintain cashflow clarity

Stream B

  • 14:45PM

Get in the mind of a venture capitalist

Whether you're looking to sell, attract investors or acquire another business, mergers and acquisitions can revolutionise your business. This workshop will lay out the key steps and strategic moves to increase your business's value and have prospective buyers/investors come knocking.

Key takeaways:

  • What makes an e-commerce business attractive for M&A
  • Financial and operational benchmarks to hit before starting the process
  • How to structure your business for a takeover/merger
  • The role of brand value, customer base and recurring revenue in valuation
  • How to avoid common pitfalls

Stream B

  • 14:15PM

Big finance without a big team: Fractional CFO

Managing money in multiple markets gets complicated fast – from handling multi-currency cash flow to hedging FX risk and controlling expenses. That's where fractional CFOs come in, providing financial expertise without the full-time price tag. But even with expert guidance, you still need the right tools/partners.

This session will cover:

  • What a fractional CFO does and how they can help you scale
  • Managing multi-currency cash flow and treasury functions
  • Hedging FX risk to protect margins
  • The biggest financial mistakes scale-ups make when going global
  • The financial tools you need
  • What to have in place If you want to hire a fractional CFO

Stream B

  • 11:30AM

Grow fast without losing control: Fulfilment and quality control strategies

As your business grows, long shipping times, inconsistent quality and rising costs can damage your reputation and margins. Localising fulfilment or improving quality control can help if done right.

Key takeaways:

  • When to localise fulfilment, does it save money or just speed up delivery?
  • How to reduce defects and returns
  • Regulatory and tax considerations with local fulfilment
  • Tools and tech that help streamline your processes

Stream B

  • 11:30AM

More spend, less ROI and other marketing mistakes

For scale-ups, the early wins from digital marketing don't last forever. As ad costs rise and competition increases, how do you keep growing without throwing money at the problem? This session will unpack the biggest marketing pain points, from diminishing returns on paid ads to audience fatigue, and explore new strategies for sustainable growth.

Key takeaways:

  • Where brands are wasting ad spend and how to fix it
  • Smarter customer acquisition
  • How to turn one-time buyers into repeat customers
  • What’s next for performance marketing

Stream B

  • 10:30AM

Beyond the Shopify store: How platforms are shaping growth

Shopify has provided the infrastructure for e-commerce growth, changing the way businesses set up, scale and expand. But within a platform-based economy, success depends on data, automation and ecosystem partners. A Shopify expert will dive into what it takes to scale beyond year 5 (or 10) and maintain momentum.

Key takeaways:

  • How data helps
  • Tech stack and automations to stay competitive
  • How to future-proof your business
  • Brand identity
  • Case studies on successful businesses and how they scaled

Stream A

  • 14:45PM

Beyond buzzwords: Retail tech to power your growth

New tech solutions promise the world but don't always deliver. This panel brings together retail tech experts, founders who've been there and industry insiders to cut through the hype and explore real opportunities for SMEs to leverage technology for growth.

The panellists will cover:

  • What tech is worth the investment?
  • How do you evaluate its benefit to you?
  • What tasks should startups automate first?
  • How is AI changing customer experience, inventory management and marketing?
  • How do you avoid tech stack bloat?
  • What’s the best balance of third-party tools and in-house solutions?
  • How to integrate new tech without disrupting existing workflow?
  • What’s next in retail tech?

Stream A

  • 14:15PM

Death, taxes and expanding to the U.S.

This session will cover the basics of what your key tax obligations are and answer questions

such as:

  • What are the biggest mistakes businesses make when expanding to the US (from a tax perspective)?
  • How to avoid penalties: what happens if you don’t comply? How to stay ahead of changing regulations?
  • How to keep tax compliance from being a bottleneck?
  • What resources or tools can businesses use to manage tax compliance without an in-house expert?
  • At what stage should businesses invest in tax automation software?
  • How can automation help prevent tax errors?

Stream A

  • 11:00AM

Smarter sourcing, tackling tariffs and cutting costs

This workshop will help startups understand tariffs, explore cost-saving sourcing options and build a strategy to protect their bottom line.

Key takeaways:

  • Tariff basics: FTAs, diversifying suppliers, shipping basics
  • Cost-saving sourcing strategies: Alternative suppliers, nearshoring, negotiation
  • Offsetting/reducing import duties
  • Real-world scenarios

Stream A

  • 11:00AM

The Amazon shortcut to cracking the US code

For startups eying the world's biggest consumer market, Amazon.com is often the fastest route into the US, but breaking in successfully isn't guaranteed. In this panel, e-commerce experts, growth hackers, expansion agencies and Amazon specialists talk about how to use Amazon to expand and what it takes to make it.

The panellists will cover:

  • First steps: What you need before you even start
  • Standing out: How to compete with US-based businesses
  • Logistics and fulfilment
  • Advertising and SEO
  • Pricing and margins
  • Beyond Amazon: Once you’ve mastered Amazon, where to next

Stream A

  • 10:30AM

David vs Goliath: Winning the global marketplace battle

Selling on Temu, AliExpress or other global marketplaces means instant access to millions of buyers – but also fierce competition. This session will explore how new/smaller sellers can attract customers without a huge budget when more established brands dominate.

 The session will cover:

  • Dayparting actions
  • Bidding optimisation with cloud computing
  • Negative keyword actions
  • Ad Campaign Budget Allocation
  • Ad Campaign Budget Allocation