Santander has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Chinese e-commerce company JD.com to facilitate its small and medium-sized corporate clients’ access to China as an export market.

UK SMEs should begin launching stores on JD.com in September, while SMEs from other markets where Santander has a presence will launch later in the year.

Angel Rivera, ‎senior executive vice-president and head of retail and commercial banking at Santander Group, says: “China has a large and ever-growing consumer base which provides a fantastic opportunity for any business wishing to export. We are therefore thrilled to be signing an MoU with JD.com which will allow our SME customers to build their presence across China via JD.com’s extensive network that is dedicated to providing Chinese consumers with quality products from across the globe.”

Tony Qiu, general manager of JD.com Worldwide, adds: “Santander Group will be a valuable and trusted ally for JD.com and retail partners to build successful partnerships to help access the potential of the Chinese market. The MoU signed between Santander Group and JD.com will provide a range of support services to SMEs interested in tapping JD.com’s 170 million active customers in China.”