Unlimit and Xiaomi GetApps have expanded their partnership to combine cross-border payments with global app distribution for game studios.
The expanded agreement combines Unlimit's cross-border payment infrastructure with GetApps' distribution network, allowing game studios and developers to manage user acquisition and financial operations through a single arrangement.
Under the terms of the expansion, game studios and developers working with Unlimit gain access to preferential rates and dedicated opportunities on GetApps, intended to reduce distribution costs and support user acquisition. In turn, GetApps partners and developers can use Unlimit's business accounts and payment services, including IBAN accounts and cross-border settlement, to manage their financial operations and fund expansion into new markets. The two companies describe the arrangement as connecting distribution and payment infrastructure that studios have typically had to manage separately.
Market context
According to the official press release, the mobile gaming sector was valued at USD 157.6 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 256.2 billion by 2030, according to Grand View Research, implying annual growth of more than 10%. As studios expand into new markets to capture this growth, cross-border payment processing has remained largely manual: LexisNexis Risk Solutions research cited by the companies puts the average global straight-through processing rate for cross-border business payments at 26%, meaning most transactions require manual intervention. For studios operating across multiple jurisdictions, this creates operational overhead that the expanded partnership is intended to address on both the distribution and payments side.
Sergejs Dupleca, Head of Business Growth and Partnerships at Unlimit, said the collaboration reflects the company's aim to connect the infrastructure that game studios and digital businesses need to operate internationally, describing the extension of the GetApps relationship as a continuation of an existing partnership rather than a new initiative.
The expansion forms part of Unlimit's broader activity in the gaming and digital economy sector, where the company has said it is building out its presence across markets in Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Xiaomi GetApps, meanwhile, continues to operate as Xiaomi's official channel for app distribution, giving developers a route to users across the markets where Xiaomi devices are sold.
The partnership illustrates a broader trend of payment providers and app distribution platforms aligning their services for game studios, whose growth increasingly depends on operating across borders. Moreover, through the process of pairing distribution reach with settlement and account infrastructure, the companies aim to reduce the number of separate providers studios need to manage as they scale internationally.
