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☆ Flutterwave: 2024 CNBC Disruptor 50
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Cnbc.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Flutterwave is among a wave of startups using technology to fill in the gaps. Flutterwave's ideal customer is a business owner or enterprise seeking to scale operations across Africa and globally. The company expanded into India in September, partnering with IndusInd Bank to make remittances between India and Africa more efficient. Flutterwave also received 13 money transmission licenses in the U.S. in late 2023, expanding its reach to 29 states. The company works with companies such as Alibaba's Alipay, Uber, Netflix and others.

Persons: Flutterwave, Alipay Organizations: IndusInd Bank, Netflix Locations: Africa, India, U.S

☆ China's Ant Group doubles down on global expansion with cross-border payments offering Alipay+
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Sheila Chiang | In Sheilachiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Photo of a person making a mobile payment. Ant InternationalChinese fintech major Ant Group is looking to boost its global presence via its digital offering, Alipay+, as it seeks to connect mobile payment apps around the world. The group's global arm, Ant International, introduced Alipay+ in 2020, allowing foreigners to use apps from their home countries to make payments in China and other countries by scanning QR codes of Ant Group's largely domestically-focused platform Alipay. Ant with its Alipay+ offering seeks to make the most of the early inroads into those markets. "We had the benefit that Alipay was already accepted in many merchants around the world so one of our first steps was [to] convert those merchants to Alipay+ merchants.

Persons: Douglas Feagin, Ant Group's, Ant, Feagin, Alipay Organizations: Ant, Ant Group, CNBC, Ant International Locations: China, Asia, Latam, Europe, U.S, Alipay, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Japan

☆ China is making it much easier for foreigners to use mobile pay
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Scanning QR codes with a mobile pay app has become the most common way to pay in mainland China. BEIJING — Foreign visitors to China can now spend up to $2,000 a year using the mobile app Alipay without having to register their ID, the app operator said Friday. The number of foreign travelers to China had declined after the country temporarily imposed strict border controls during the pandemic. However, stringent real-name verification policies have often made it difficult for foreign visitors to China to use mobile pay. Tencent did not confirm an exact figure for ID-free transactions using WeChat Pay, but noted foreigners could complete some payments without registering their ID.

Persons: Ant Organizations: Alibaba, Ant, Pay Locations: China, BEIJING

☆ China's central bank encourages local businesses to accept foreign payment cards
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING — China is encouraging banks and local businesses to accept foreign bank cards and is considering other steps to make mobile pay for international visitors even easier, said Zhang Qingsong, deputy governor of the People's Bank of China. "Banks and vendors (such as hotels, restaurants, department stores and even coffee shops) are encouraged to accept foreign bankcards," Zhang said. Shopping malls have increasingly preferred not to accept foreign credit cards. Last summer, the two dominant mobile pay apps WeChat and AliPay started allowing verified users to connect their international credit cards — such as those from Visa . "Now, when using Alipay or WeChat Pay, foreign visitors do not need to provide ID information if their total annual transaction volume is under $500," he said.

Persons: Zhang Qingsong, Banks, Zhang, that's, AliPay, Tencent Organizations: Beijing Capital Airport, Visa, Mastercard, People's Bank of China, CNBC, Mobile, Alibaba, Ant Locations: BEIJING — China, Beijing, China

☆ Number of foreign visitors to China in 2023 down more than 60% from pre-pandemic levels
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —It has been a year since China reopened its borders, but despite loosening its stringent Covid-19 restrictions, foreign travelers have been slow to return to the country with numbers down more than 60% from pre-pandemic levels. China’s border authorities recorded 35.5 million entries and exits by foreign nationals in 2023, according to the National Immigration Administration. That’s nearly seven times more than the number from 2022, when the country was deep in its three-year self-imposed Covid isolation. More than half of the border crossings made by foreign travelers in 2023 were recorded in the last three months of the year, according to data from the National Immigration Administration. Chinese authorities issued a total of 711,000 residency permits of various types to foreign nationals living in the country in 2023, Zhang added.

Persons: That’s, Zhang Ning, Zhang, Premier Li Qiang Organizations: CNN, National Immigration Administration, Premier, Economic, Embassy Locations: China, Beijing, Switzerland, Ireland, Davos, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Malaysia, Thailand, United States

☆ A record 8.5 million Chinese borrowers are now blacklisted for not paying their debts, a report says. They're feeling the same financial pressures as Americans.
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A record 8.54 million Chinese borrowers are blacklisted for not paying their debts, the FT reported. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementA record 8.5 million Chinese borrowers – about 1% of the country's working-age adults – are blacklisted by their government for failing to pay their debts, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. The restrictions placed on the borrowers threaten to weigh on consumer spending in the world's second-largest economy, crimping global growth.

Persons: —, defaulters, Michael Burry, David Rosenberg Organizations: Service, Financial Times Locations: China

☆ Southeast Asia is on the cusp of a 'supercharged' digital payments revolution, PwC says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Widespread mobile ownership, together with rapid digitalization after the pandemic, helped spur the expansion of digital financial services in Southeast Asia, said PwC. PwC"This enhanced availability and convenience of digital payments will see the bulk of the regional population leveraging mainstream digital financial products, such as e-wallets, further expediting the expansion of financial services," said PwC. watch now"Consumers are adopting digital financial services at a rapid pace. Cash is no longer king, as digital payments now make up more than 50% of the region's transactions," a recent Google, Temasek and Bain & Company report wrote. "In some regions such as Southeast Asia, [digital payments via e-wallets] are already more common than physical card payments and set to dominate point-of-sale [systems] overall," wrote Dan Jones and Alex Walker of OliverWyman.

Persons: PwC, hawkers, —, Cash, Dan Jones, Alex Walker of OliverWyman Organizations: Banking, Getty, Careem, Mercado Libre, Temasek, Bain & Company Locations: China, East Asia, Shanghai, Banking Asia, Asia, Southeast Asia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Laos, Cambodia, Paytm, India, AliPay, Latin America

☆ China's Alipay sells stake in India's Zomato for nearly $400 mln - term sheet
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/2] A delivery worker of Zomato, an Indian food-delivery startup, prepares to leave to pick up an order from a restaurant in Mumbai, India, July 13, 2021. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 29 (Reuters) - Chinese payments group Alipay launched a $400 million accelerated bookbuild to sell its stake in Indian food delivery giant Zomato (ZOMT.NS), according the deal's term sheet on Wednesday. The deal comes after Reuters reported on Tuesday that Alipay was planning to sell its 3.4% in Zomato through block deals on Indian stock exchanges. Reporting by Baranjot Kaur in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, Alipay, Baranjot Kaur, Rashmi Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, Zomato, Bengaluru

The logo of Indian food delivery company Zomato is seen on its app on a mobile phone displayed in front of its company website in this illustration picture taken July 14, 2021. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMUMBAI, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Chinese payments group Alipay plans to sell its 3.4% stake in Indian food delivery giant Zomato (ZOMT.NS) for nearly $400 million through block deals on Indian stock exchanges, according to three sources and a Reuters review of the deal's term sheet. Alipay, owned by Ant Group, will offload its entire 3.44% stake in the deal, the term sheet seen by Reuters showed. In October, Japan's SoftBank (9984.T) sold a 1.1% stake in Zomato, which is India's biggest food delivery service. In August, China's Antfin sold a 10.3% stake in Indian financial giant Paytm (PAYT.NS).

Persons: Florence Lo, Morgan Stanley, Alipay, Japan's SoftBank, China's Antfin, Sriram, Aditya Kalra, Susan Fenton Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Ant Group, Reuters, Bank of America, Tech, Thomson Locations: Rights MUMBAI, Zomato

☆ Mastercard will soon be widely accepted in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The US credit card giant announced Monday that it had received clearance from China’s central bank and the financial regulator to launch a bank card business in China through its joint venture with partner NetsUnion Clearing Corporation (NUCC). Mastercard (MA) will be able to start issuing Chinese yuan-denominated bank cards under its own brand, according to a Sunday statement from the People’s Bank of China (PBOC). Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach took part in a CEO summit on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum that Xi and other leaders from across the Pacific were in town to attend. Like other foreign payments providers, Mastercard has campaigned for years to expand its business in China. Previously, it was only authorized to issue co-branded cards, such as those with China UnionPay, the state-owned bank card network.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Xi, Michael Miebach, Elon Musk, Tim Cook, Miebach, China UnionPay, Amex Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Mastercard, NetsUnion Clearing, People’s Bank of China, New, San Francisco Bay Area, Economic Cooperation, Apple, American Express, Visa Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, Washington, New York, San Francisco Bay, United States, Asia

☆ National Bank of Cambodia governor discusses MOU with Ant Group
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailNational Bank of Cambodia governor discusses MOU with Ant GroupChea Serey, governor of the National Bank of Cambodia, discusses the memorandum of understanding and the creation of "interoperability between Cambodian mobile payment users and the Alipay+ merchants."

Persons: Serey Organizations: Email National Bank of Cambodia, Ant, National Bank of Locations: National Bank of Cambodia

☆ With China playing catchup with the U.S., these 3 charts show the top countries for fintech in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

UK has second-biggest number of top fintech firmsThe U.S. was home to 65 of the top fintech companies, according to CNBC's list of world's top 200 fintech companies. In the U.S., some of the top global fintech companies on Statista's list include names like Stripe, PayPal and Intuit . Stateside, meanwhile, the largest fintech unicorns are Stripe ($95 billion), Chime ($25 billion), Ripple ($15 billion), Plaid ($13.5 billion), Devoted Health ($12.6 billion, and Brex ($12.3 billion). Other leading ecosystems for fintech unicorns include India, on 17 unicorns, and China, on eight. Standing in 8th place is Mexico, with five fintech unicorns, Singapore, also with five, and the Netherlands, which has four in total.

Persons: Ed Jones, Starling, Tencent, Statista, Andreessen Horowitz, Wise, Vlad Tenev, Group's, —, Nick Parmenter Organizations: AFP, Getty, CNBC, Statista, Ant Group, Plaid, Visa, Mastercard, European Union, Apple, Google, Sequoia Capital, PayPal, Intuit, Financial, Authority, Consumers Locations: U.S, Beijing, China, Silicon, Europe, Ukraine, Covid, India, France, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, Singapore, Netherlands, Statista

☆ China's Golden Week: expected consumption boom disappoints
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hong Kong CNN —China has concluded its Golden Week holiday on a muted note, with key travel and spending data showing weaker-than-expected recovery in consumption amid a wider economic slump. Before the holiday, the ministry had expected domestic travel to hit 896 million trips, and tourism spending to reach 782.5 billion yuan ($107 billion). According to the National Immigration Administration, on average 1.48 million people crossed the border every day during the Golden Week holiday. Weakness at the box officeChina’s box office hit multi-year lows during the holiday week. A recovery in domestic consumption not related to the Golden Week also fell short of expectations.

Persons: ” Goldman Sachs, Tesla, BYD Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Ministry of Culture, Tourism, National Immigration Administration, Shenyang North Railway, Stringer, Getty, Citi, Entertainment, Tencent, China Passenger Car Association Sunday, CNN, EV Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, China's, Liaoning, AFP, Tourism

☆ China's Ant Group unveils finance AI model as race heats up
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Josh Ye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Ant Group sign is seen at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, China July 6, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHONG KONG, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Ant Group unveiled a finance-specific artificial intelligence (AI) model on Friday and started testing consumer and professional apps for the product, joining a crowded race to deploy AI in heavily regulated China. The foray by Ant into financial AI is notable as the company founded by billionaire Jack Ma is China's biggest fintech firm, with more than 1 billion users worldwide for its Alipay payment app. Ant follows AI announcements by tech giants Tencent (0700.HK) and Xiaomi (1810.HK) on Thursday and Ant's affiliate Alibaba (9988.HK) in April. The Zhixiaobao 2.0 app, designed to give consumers financial tips, can match the average financial professional in market analysis and reasoning capability, Ant said.

Persons: Aly, Ant, Jack Ma, OpenAI's, Josh Ye, William Mallard Organizations: Artificial Intelligence, REUTERS, Ant Group, HK, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, HONG KONG

☆ From banking giants to lending up-and-comers — here are the world's top 200 fintech companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Statista identified 40 firms as top digital payments companies. While digital payments is often the area that draws most investor buzz, lending generates more money in financial services. Statista identified 25 fintech companies that fall into the category of top alternate lending firms. They include American small business lending firm Biz2Credit, Irish e-commerce lending company Wayflyer, and Latvian loan refinancing startup Mintos. Digital business solutions

Persons: Monzo, there's, Statista, Afterpay, It's, Binance, eToro, Equity crowdfunding, hasn't, Peter Hazlehurst Organizations: JPMorgan —, Orange, Digital, U.S, SEC, European, Education, Equity, Republic, Tech, Federal Reserve, Bank of England, CNBC, Solaris Locations: fintech, Europe, Nigeria, Orange, Africa, Terra, U.S, Cayman Islands, American, Latvian, U.K

☆ Elon Musk needs to be ruthless if he's going to transform X into a killer app. Here's what he should do, according to a Fortune 500 project management expert.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Dr. Te Wu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Dr. Te Wu is the CEO and CPO of PMO Advisory, a project management training and consulting firm. From a project management perspective, here are the top five actions I would undertake to make this latest transformation successful. Business transformation is more of an art than a science, and building new product features can be extraordinarily difficult. Dr. Te Wu is CEO and CPO of PMO Advisory, a project management training and consulting firm for companies, including Global 500 and nonprofit organizations. He is an associate professor at Montclair State University and chair of the Project Management Institute's Portfolio Management Standard Committee.

Persons: Te Wu, Wu, It's, Elon Musk, I've, Musk, Linda Yaccarino, WeChat, Meta, OpenAI's, Slack Organizations: PMO, Twitter, Morning, SpaceX, Fortune, Swiss Army, China Europe International Business School, Elon, New York's Transit Authority, Facebook, Microsoft, Montclair State University, Project Management Institute's Locations: New, China

☆ Alipay and WeChat Pay now accept Visa and Mastercard for all payments in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The move marks a revival of efforts by Alipay and WeChat Pay to accept foreign credit cards after they provided some limited access in late 2019. WeChat Pay is officially known as Weixin Pay in China. Alipay and WeChat Pay are dominant in digital payment services, accounting for a combined 91% market share. In 2019, Alipay and WeChat started allowing the use of foreign credit cards on their apps as Chinese regulators eased restrictions. A week later, an executive from Tencent said at a forum that the company would open wider its WeChat Pay system to international card organizations, such as Visa, starting in July.

Persons: Alipay, WeChat, ” Dennis Chang, Tencent, ”, Chen Qiru Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, Mastercard, Ant Group, Visa, Club, Discover, World, Hangzhou, Alibaba, JCB, Greater China, “, Tencent Financial Technology, ”, People’s Bank of Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Tianjin, People’s Bank of China

☆ Jack Ma loses more than half of his wealth after criticizing Chinese regulators
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Ma, who also co-founded e-commerce firm Alibaba (BABA), has a 9.9% stake in Ant, according to Bloomberg. Chinese regulators pulled the plug on Ant’s $37 billion IPO in November 2020 and ordered the company to restructure its business. In recent years, he has reportedly spent time in Japan, home to his friend and Alibaba investor, SoftBank (SFTBF) CEO Masa Son, and in Hong Kong. In January, Ma gave up control of Ant after it spent two years revamping its business from consumer lending to insurance products at the behest of regulators. Ant and its units were also fined $984 million by Chinese financial regulators last week, for allegedly breaking rules related to consumer protection and corporate governance.

Persons: Jack Ma’s, Ant, Ma, Masa Son, Alibaba Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Bloomberg, Ant Group, CNN Locations: Hong Kong, China, Shanghai, Japan, Tokyo

☆ Jack Ma's run-in with Beijing not only saw him disappearing for over 2 years, it also cost his companies over $850 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Jack Ma's Alibaba and Ant Group collectively lost $850 billion in value since their peak in 2020. They came under pressure following Ma's criticism of Beijing, which spurred a regulatory crackdown. On Friday, Beijing announced a $985 million fine for Ant Group, signaling an end to the crackdown. In April, he was appointed an honorary professor at the University of Hong Kong. Alibaba shares in Hong Kong were up 3.1% at 86.90 Hong Kong dollars apiece at midday, buoyed by news of the fine.

Persons: Jack Ma's Alibaba, Jack Ma, Ma, —, Ant — Organizations: Ant Group, Ant, Michelin, University of Hong, Hong Locations: Beijing, China's, Alibaba, China, Bangkok, Thai, Hong Kong, Hangzhou, University of Hong Kong, Japan, New York

That represents a steep 75% discount to the $315 billion valuation in 2020 for what was set to be the world's largest IPO had it not been derailed at the last minute by Chinese regulators. "China needs to resolve the Ant IPO to restore investor confidence," said Wang Qi, chief executive of China-focused asset manager MegaTrust Investment. For the broader technology sector, Ant's fine marks a key step towards the conclusion of China's bruising crackdown on private enterprises, which began with the scrapping of Ant's IPO in late 2020 and subsequently wiped billions off the market value of several companies. "At the same time, initiating a stock buyback also indirectly informs investors that the possibility of a short-term IPO recovery is unlikely." On Friday, Chinese authorities also announced fines against two Chinese banks, an insurer, and Tencent Holdings' (0700.HK) online payment platform Tenpay.

Persons: Ant, Zhang Zihua, Wang Qi, Jack Ma, Hanyang Wang, Julie Zhu, Josh Ye, Brenda Goh, Zhang Yan, Scott Murdoch, Shri Navaratnam, Kim Coghill Organizations: Saturday, Ant, Hangzhou Junhan Equity Investment Partnership, Hangzhou Junao Equity Investment Partnership, Beijing Yunyi, MegaTrust Investment, Fidelity, Reuters, Tencent Holdings, HK, People's Bank of China, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Hangzhou, Hangzhou Junhan, Beijing, China

☆ Ant's share repurchase plan values firm around $79 bln, down sharply before crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

It marked a sharp fall in the $300 billion-plus value ascribed to the company in mid-2020, before its IPO planned for later that year was pulled. Ant said it had proposed to all of its shareholders to repurchase up to 7.6% of its equity interest at a price that represents a group valuation of approximately 567.1 billion yuan. The repurchase proposal will also provide a liquidity option for the company’s investors," it said. Ant's major shareholders, Hangzhou Junhan Equity Investment Partnership and Hangzhou Junao Equity Investment Partnership, have voluntarily decided not to participate in the repurchase, the company added. "At the same time, initiating a stock buyback also indirectly informs investors that the possibility of a short-term IPO recovery is unlikely."

Persons: Ant, Hanyang Wang, Jack Ma, Brenda Goh, Zhang Yan, Josh Ye, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Saturday, Ant, Hangzhou Junhan Equity Investment Partnership, Hangzhou Junao Equity Investment Partnership, Tencent Holdings, HK, People's Bank of China, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Hong Kong

☆ Ant Group's share repurchase plan values firm at nearly $79 billion, down sharply before crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

HANGZHOU, CHINA - OCTOBER 27: A logo of Ant Group is seen at the company's headquarters on October 27, 2020 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province of China. Ant Group on Saturday announced a share repurchase plan that values the fintech giant at 567.1 billion yuan ($78.54 billion), as the management seeks to replenish its staff incentive pool and let some investors exit after regulators fined the firm. "The repurchased shares will be transferred into Ant Group's employee incentive plans to attract talents. Ant's major shareholders, Hangzhou Junhan Equity Investment Partnership and Hangzhou Junao Equity Investment Partnership, have voluntarily decided not to participate in the repurchase, the company added. On Friday, Chinese authorities also announced fines against two Chinese banks, an insurer, and Tencent Holdings' online payment platform Tenpay.

Persons: Ant, Jack Ma Organizations: Ant, Saturday, Hangzhou Junhan Equity Investment Partnership, Hangzhou Junao Equity Investment Partnership, Tencent Holdings, People's Bank of China Locations: HANGZHOU, CHINA, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China

China's central bank said that financial regulators would fine Ant and its subsidiaries a total of 7.12 billion yuan, require it to stop operations of its crowdfunded medical aid service Xianghubao and compensate users. Reuters reported earlier, citing sources, that Chinese authorities intended to unveil its fine on Ant as early as Friday. The sources had earlier said that the fine on Ant had been revised to at least 8 billion yuan. Reuters reported in April that Chinese regulators were considering fining Ant about 5 billion yuan, a lower sum than what they initially had in mind. Alibaba was fined a record 18 billion yuan in 2021 for antitrust violations.

Persons: China c.bank, Ant, Ping, Rukim Kuang, Jack Ma, Jeffrey Towson, Pan Gongsheng, Pan, Didi Global, Alibaba, Julie Zhu, Jane Xu, Jason Xue, Kevin Huang, Meg Shen, Twinnie Sui, Josh Ye, Ethan Wang, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Brenda Goh, David Holmes, Susan Fenton Organizations: Ant, Singapore FinTech Festival, REUTERS, Ant Group, People's Bank of China, Reuters, Ping An Bank, PICC, HK, Postal Savings Bank, Tencent Holdings, Alibaba, Hong Kong, Financial Regulatory Administration, State Council, Lens Consulting, Thomson Locations: Singapore, China, HONG KONG, Ant's, Hong, Beijing, CHINA

Reuters reported earlier, citing sources, that Chinese authorities intended to unveil its fine on Ant as early as Friday. The National Financial Regulatory Administration (NFRA), a new government body under the State Council, is now the primary regulator to grant Ant the license, they added. The sources had earlier said that the fine on Ant had been revised to at least 8 billion yuan. Reuters reported in April that Chinese regulators were considering fining Ant about 5 billion yuan, a lower sum than what they initially had in mind. Alibaba was fined a record 18 billion yuan in 2021 for antitrust violations.

Persons: China c.bank, Ant, Ping, Rukim Kuang, Jeffrey Towson, Jack Ma, China's, Pan Gongsheng, Pan, Didi Global, Alibaba, Julie Zhu, Jane Xu, Jason Xue, Kevin Huang, Meg Shen, Twinnie Sui, Josh Ye, Ethan Wang, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Brenda Goh, David Holmes, Susan Fenton Organizations: Ant, Singapore FinTech Festival, REUTERS, Ant Group, People's Bank of China, Reuters, Ping An Bank, PICC, HK, Postal Savings Bank, Tencent Holdings, Tenpay, Alibaba, Hong Kong, Lens Consulting, Communist Party, Financial Regulatory Administration, State Council, Thomson Locations: Singapore, China, HONG KONG, Ant's, Hong, Beijing, CHINA

☆ Chinese payment giants revive effort to accept foreign credit cards
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Josh Ye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, June 28 (Reuters) - Chinese tech giants Tencent Holdings (0700.HK) and Ant Group said that they would allow users to link international credit cards to their platforms, an issue that has long plagued foreign visitors as the country’s payment system has kept credit cards out for years. Foreign visitors often find themselves unable to pay for things in China where many shops and restaurants now only accept mobile payment rather than credit cards or cash. Tencent and Ant had formed partnerships with Visa and Mastercard in 2019 to make foreign cards usable on their platforms. Under the new setup, international travelers can set up their foreign cards on these apps with a few simple steps. While China’s mobile payment networks have been closed off to foreign-issued credit cards, domestically issued credit cards under Visa and Mastercard have long been supported.

Persons: Alipay, Ant, ” Tencent, Josh Ye, Kim Coghill Organizations: Tencent Holdings, HK, Ant Group, Visa Inc, Mastercard, Ant, Visa, Overseas, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, China, ecommerce, Hong Kong, Macau

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