NEW YORK, March 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Future FinTech Inc. (Nasdaq: FTFT), ("Future FinTech" or the Company"), a leading comprehensive financial and digital technology service provider, announced that on March 12, 2026, its wholly-owned subsidiary, Future FinTech (Hong Kong) Limited ("FTFT HK"), signed a Strategic Cooperation Agreement (the "Agreement") with Maxing Technology Limited ("Maxing"). Maxing is an innovative Hong Kong technology company focused on developing a new payment technology and reward system that channels its benefits to ecosystem participants. The Agreement outlines the roles and responsibilities of the two parties to jointly develop a Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) framework, with the goal to build a compliance-based payment infrastructure designed to advance the global payment industry.

Maxing has constructed a three-tier architecture system consisting of entry, scenario and reward. It connects diverse transaction scenarios by providing basic services such as digital wallets and QR code payments, and has established a scientific quantitative distribution system comprising two indices:

• The Global Contribution Index (GCI) will be used to accumulate long‑term contribution levels by merchants and serve as the threshold and eligibility logic for accessing corresponding rights and benefits.
  
  
• The Global Contribution Weight Index (GCWI) will be used to define the weight of current-period contributions and uphold the fair logic of reward distribution).

For the initial stage of the development process, points and consumer coupons will serve as the core reward carriers, and additional equity types will be constructed for compliance in the future. This system is intended to realize the connection between user contributions and value rewards, and is designed to improve merchant coverage, transaction density and user stickiness.

Based on the Agreement, FTFT will collaborate with Maxing by virtue of its financial technology capabilities. The collaboration between the two parties focuses on following three objectives:

1. To develop (i) a 'Maxing Wallet' as a unified account, (ii) a frictionless global infrastructure for QR code payment acquisition and clearing & settlement, (iii) implement a Contribution-Reward mechanism, and (iv) the first contribution-driven default payment layer in emerging markets.
   
   
2. To (i) upgrade the core capabilities of digital payment and cross-border clearing & settlement to further reduce global transaction frictions, and (ii) strengthen the layout of digital wallets and QR code payment acquisition to improve market penetration.
   
   
3. To (i) develop and consolidate a global compliance and risk control system to provide a solid guarantee for the expansion of multi-scenario businesses, and (ii) open ecological interfaces to attract third-party engagement, enrich the transaction scenario matrix and continuously advance the core values of the ecosystem.

Future FinTech and Maxing plan to work together in three major areas: Merchant and Technical services (including merchant development and management, technical connection, system support, etc.), Payment Commission / Clearing & Settlement Services (including coordination of payment channels, clearing & settlement, account reconciliation, capital flow, etc.), and Full-link Operation Services (including user activity and channel operation, brand content communication, as well as customer complaint and merchant operation support, etc.). The two parties intend to leverage complementary resources and work efficiently toward significantly enhancing the structure and functioning of the global payment industry.

Mr. Zehua Wang, CEO of Maxing, stated, "This collaboration with Future FinTech is integral to the development of an advanced global payment infrastructure. Our partnership combines robust compliance as the cornerstone of this endeavor, clearing and settlement capabilities as the framework, and the harnessing of innovation to build a payment system positioned for long-term success. Together, we plan to develop a unique execution strategy that can potentially transform the global payment industry."

Mr. Hu Li, CEO of FTFT commented, "The current global payment industry is experiencing a period of structural restructuring. New forms of payments such as stablecoins and QR code payments are developing rapidly, and the scale of the cross-border payment market is continuously expanding. However, the industry still faces pain points such as high transaction friction with competition intensifying around infrastructure construction and network effect cultivation.

"The joint development of a payment ecosystem with Maxing is an important strategic step for FTFT to evolve its financial technology business into a global payment infrastructure. The two parties believe that compliance as the fundamental principle of this initiative, clearing and settlement capabilities as the basis, and the proposition that 'Every Contribution Deserves a Reward' as the core growth engine to jointly build a payment entry with long-term network effects. We believe that this will drive sustainable growth for the Company on a global basis and help gear the global payment industry towards a more efficient and value-added direction," Mr. Li concluded.

About Future Fintech Group Inc.

Future FinTech Group Inc. (NASDAQ: FTFT) is a comprehensive financial and digital technology service provider. The Company, through its subsidiaries, conducts brokerage and investment banking services in Hong Kong, and engages in supply chain trading and finance businesses in China and efficient digital financial services. For more information, please visit www.ftft.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain statements made in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning and protections of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our beliefs, plans, objectives, goals, expectations, anticipations, assumptions, estimates, intentions, and future performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may be beyond our control, which may cause the actual results, performance, capital, ownership, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be forward-looking statements. You can identify these forward-looking statements by our use of words such as "may," "will," "anticipate," "assume," "should," "indicate," "would," "believe," "contemplate," "expect," "estimate," "continue," "plan," "point to," "project," "could," "intend," "target" and other similar words and expressions relating to the future.

All written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to us are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary notice, including, without limitation, the risks and uncertainties described in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 and our other reports and filings with the SEC. Such reports are available upon request from the Company, or from the Securities and Exchange Commission, including through the SEC's Internet website at http://www.sec.gov. We have no obligation and do not undertake to update, revise, or correct any of the forward-looking statements after the date hereof, or after the respective dates on which any such statements are otherwise made.

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SOURCE Future FinTech Group Inc.