Rita Liu is the Chief Executive Officer and a board member of RD Technologies Group, a Hong Kong-based company focused on stablecoins and cross-border payment solutions. Liu previously held senior leadership positions at Ant Group, Alipay, and Mode Global Holdings. ^{[1] [2]}

Career

Ant Group and Alipay

Liu spent nearly a decade in senior leadership roles at Ant Group and its subsidiary, Alipay, where she was instrumental in the company's international expansion. She served as the Chief Executive Officer and a director of Alipay UK, overseeing the company's operations in the United Kingdom. In her capacity as Head of Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), Liu led the team that established Ant Group's European operations from the ground up. Her responsibilities included formulating and executing strategic plans, managing business expansion and operations, and driving the group's mergers, acquisitions, and localization strategies across the region. She also served as the Head of Canada for Alipay, leading the company's initiatives in that market. Her work spanned enterprise (B2B) and consumer (B2C) payments, digital wallets, and strategic business development across Asia, Europe, and North America. ^{[3] [1]}

Mode Global Holdings

Prior to her role at RD Technologies, Liu was the Chief Executive Officer and a director of Mode Global Holdings PLC, a fintech group listed on the London Stock Exchange. Mode focused on developing a trusted digital asset ecosystem and was one of the first publicly listed crypto-asset companies to be recognized by the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The company secured both an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license and AMLD5 registration for its crypto-asset activities from the FCA. ^{[3] [1]}

During her tenure as CEO, Liu oversaw several key product launches and partnerships aimed at integrating digital assets into everyday finance. These initiatives included:

• A partnership with THG plc in 2021 for a payments solution featuring an Open Banking and Bitcoin rewards program.
• The launch of a Bitcoin payroll partnership with e-commerce firm Heroes in February 2022.
• The introduction of a Bitcoin Cashback product in May 2022, which expanded to include over 300 participating brands by September 2022.
• An expansion of the platform's crypto trading offerings in October 2022 to include additional tokens.

These developments were part of the company's strategy to build a comprehensive digital finance application combining payments, investments, and loyalty rewards centered on digital assets. ^[3]

RD Technologies Group

In late 2023, Liu was appointed Chief Executive Officer of RD Technologies Group, a Hong Kong-based financial technology company. She also serves as a member of the company's Board of Directors, alongside Chairman Dr. Norman T.L. Chan, former Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), and other figures from firms such as HashKey Group and HongShan. As CEO, Liu leads the company's mission to build next-generation financial infrastructure connecting traditional finance with Web3, with a focus on "building towards mass adoption of tokenized money." ^{[1] [2] [4]}

Under her leadership, RD Technologies has focused on two core business segments: cross-border payments and stablecoin development. On September 29, 2025, Liu announced a strategic brand enhancement to formally separate these segments. The company launched "OristaPay" as its dedicated brand for cross-border payment services, while its stablecoin initiatives continued under the independently operated entity, RD InnoTech Limited. In her announcement, Liu stated, "A clear brand strategy will better unlock the core potential of each business. RD Technologies Group has been committed to compliant innovation for five years, and we firmly believe that technology will bring customers superior and more efficient payment and financial solutions." ^{[5] [6]}

RD Technologies, through its subsidiary RD InnoTech Limited, is a participant in the HKMA's Stablecoin Issuer Sandbox. The company is developing the HKDR stablecoin, which is designed to be backed 1:1 by the Hong Kong dollar to support the Web3 and virtual assets ecosystem. Following the passage of Hong Kong's Stablecoins Ordinance in 2025, Liu commented on the new regulatory framework: "We are thrilled with the passage of the Stablecoins Ordinance, which sets a clear and robust framework for the sustainable growth of Hong Kong’s virtual asset ecosystem... As pioneers in the stablecoin space... we are dedicated to building trust by aligning with these regulations to deliver secure and innovative solutions for virtual asset trading, cross-border payments, and tokenization of real world assets." ^{[7] [8]}

Public Appearances and Affiliations

Liu is a frequent public speaker at international finance and technology conferences. In July 2024, she spoke at the Point Zero Forum in Zurich, Switzerland. She participated in a roundtable session titled "Stablecoins in the monetary system of the future," which focused on regulatory concerns and innovation in the digital asset space. Her co-panelists included representatives from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Circle, Paxos, and Onyx by J.P. Morgan. At the same event, Liu co-presented a workshop and case study on reducing costs and time for cross-border settlements alongside Mo Shaikh, CEO of Aptos Labs. The case study showcased RD Technologies' RD Wallet and HKDR stablecoin, highlighting a collaboration with Aptos. ^{[9] [10]}

In addition to her corporate roles, Liu has been an invited expert for the University of Oxford’s Fintech and Open Banking AI Program. She is also an advocate for female leadership in the technology sector. ^{[1] [3]}

Awards and Recognition

Liu's contributions to the financial technology industry have been recognized on multiple power lists.

• In 2017, she was nominated as a "Women In Fintech Powerlist Leader" by Innovate Finance, a UK-based industry body.
• In 2020, she was featured in FinTech Futures’ "Top 10 Women in Fintech Power List 2020."

These recognitions highlight her influence and leadership within the global fintech sector. ^[1]

Interviews

Stablecoins and Asia’s Financial Future

On May 8, 2024, Rita Liu appeared in a keynote session on the WOW Summit YouTube channel titled “Exploring Stablecoin Opportunities in the Asian Market.” In this address, she outlined her perspective on the development of stablecoins and their role within financial systems in Asia.

Liu described stablecoins, particularly those backed by fiat currency and issued under regulatory oversight, as instruments that connect conventional financial infrastructure (Web2) with blockchain-based economies (Web3). She stated that RD Technologies is preparing to introduce a Hong Kong Dollar–pegged stablecoin (HKDR), which is intended to operate under a framework of regulatory compliance, transparency, and trust. According to her, this initiative is designed to address difficulties in cross-border payments, where high transaction costs, limited speed, and low transparency remain ongoing concerns.

She referred to the scale of the stablecoin sector, noting an estimated market value of $150 billion in 2024 and an on-chain settlement volume of $11 trillion in 2022. These figures, she observed, reflect that stablecoins are used not only for trading or speculation but also in smaller transactions, which she connected to potential applications in financial inclusion.

Liu also discussed the prospective rise of non-US dollar stablecoins in Asia, identifying them as a mechanism to reduce reliance on the US dollar as an intermediary and to facilitate the development of an on-chain foreign exchange market. She estimated that the overall stablecoin market could expand to around $1 trillion within five years, depending on the progress of regulatory frameworks.

Finally, she pointed to Hong Kong’s role as a trading and financial hub, suggesting that its regulatory environment could support the wider use of stablecoins in regional and cross-border commerce. Within this context, RD Technologies’ plans include creating a network based in Hong Kong to support both local and international financial activities connected to blockchain systems. ^[11]

Financial Inclusion and Digital Payments #02

On June 28, 2017, Rita Liu, then Head of Alipay EMEA, gave an interview to Joy Macknight for The Banker during the Money 20/20 Europe event in Copenhagen. The discussion focused on Alipay’s international activities and the broader developments in digital payments.

Liu explained that Alipay’s growth in China was linked to the adoption of QR code payments and the integration of multiple services into a single application. She described how the platform relied on technologies such as artificial intelligence, facial recognition, big data, and cloud computing to improve operational processes, strengthen security, and manage fraud prevention.

She also outlined Alipay’s approach in Europe, which aimed to support local merchants in serving Chinese consumers while introducing digital payment models to new markets. Liu indicated that the spread of mobile technologies could accelerate the decline in the use of cash and provide merchants with access to detailed consumer data. In her view, partnerships with local businesses and institutions were a central element of Alipay’s strategy for long-term engagement in the region. ^[12]