Didi Chuxing picks up a payment license — Caixin — “Didi Chuxing, China’s largest ride-hailing company, is speeding into the payments business, acquiring a much-coveted license to join the red-hot internet financial-services arena. Didi has agreed to fully acquire third-party payment-services provider 19Pay for 300m yuan (US$45.4m)… Last year, the PBOC said it would control the number of third-party payment licenses issued, making it increasingly difficult to get a license.”
China
China’s JD.com to open hundreds of unmanned convenience stores
Chinese online retailer JD plans to open hundreds of unmanned shops, ahead of Amazon — The Telegraph — “Chinese online retailer JD.com has beaten Amazon to the next stage of the shopping revolution by announcing plans to open hundreds of ‘unmanned’ convenience stores. The shops have already been trialled with JD’s 10,000 employees at headquarters in Beijing and use facial and recognition technology to register payment and product identity, meaning that customers do not have to wait in a checkout line.”
UnionPay details its mobile payment app for China’s banks
Unified app of China’s banking industry, ‘Mobile QuickPass’ officially launches today — China UnionPay — “The ‘Mobile QuickPass’ app is a unified mobile payment portal jointly developed and maintained by commercial banks and UnionPay, under the guidance of the People’s Bank of China. Customers are able to link their bank cards to the app, manage different bank accounts, and enjoy the mobile payment services and benefits offered by each bank. The services offered by this app also include UnionPay QR code payment, signing up for various mobile payment solutions, comprehensive credit card services, P2P real-time transfer and payment services in various scenarios.”
China UnionPay launches mobile wallet app
UnionPay takes mobile payment services fight to Alibaba and Tencent with integrated app — South China Morning Post — “UnionPay said the app could be linked to more than one bank account by different banks with all of their mobile payment services accepted and conducted via the platform… The country’s dominant bank card clearing service provider also launched a nationwide promotional campaign with aggressive discounts to attract consumers who have been increasingly using Alipay and Tenpay services for shopping.”
One in three ‘connected consumers’ in India now use mobile payments
Kantar TNS study reveals the rise of mobile payments in India — Kantar TNS — “Mobile payments have seen a sharp rise with one in three (35%) connected consumers in India using it. The popularity of mobile payments in India is also revealed by the number of regular users, with 23% saying they use mobile payments at least once a week. The results of the study showed that India (35%) is ahead of other APAC countries like Indonesia (9%) and Philippines (7%) but has still a lot of catching up to do with the likes of China (94%) and Singapore (65%) where mobile payments have become a more regular habit.”
Chinese consumers made 1.48bn Alipay purchases on Singles Day
Spending climbs by 39% on this year’s Singles Day — China Daily — “Bargain hunters splurged by spending a record 168.2bn yuan (US$25.3bn) during this year’s Singles Day… Nine out of 10 people used mobile wallet apps for payment, said Alibaba, with its Alipay app having handled 1.48bn transactions in 24 hours and processed them at a peak rate of 256,000 transactions per second.”
Chinese retail giant to open unmanned stores with face recognition and RFID tags
Suning to open four new unmanned stores in China — Suning — “Highlights include: Facial recognition — After linking a bank card and going through the facial recognition on Suning Finance app, customers will be able to enter the store simply by letting the camera scan their faces at the entrance. Effortless shopping experience — To check out, shoppers only need to carry their goods along the payment pathway. The system will automatically recognize the shoppers and their items with the facial recognition and RFID technology – making the entire check-out process shorter than 15 seconds.”
China UnionPay tests NFC and QR transit payments
Public transport alliances set to boost UnionPay — China Daily — “In the first 19 cities where UnionPay pilot mobile payment applications will be used in public transportation, UnionPay provides users with comprehensive solutions including mobile phone QuickPass, bankcard QuickPass and QR code payment… According to Ge Huayong, president of UnionPay, more than 40 banks now accept UnionPay’s QR code payment transactions and an additional 60 or so banks are testing their systems.”
Okey Co joins the NFC World Partner Program
NFC World today welcomes Beijing-based Okey Co as a member of our partner program... More
eMarketer raises mobile payments forecast for China
eMarketer projects surge in mobile payments in China — eMarketer — “eMarketer has raised its projections by more than 86% for 2017, and now expects 461.4 million people in the country to use a phone to pay at the POS… By 2021, 79.3% of smartphone users will be tapping, scanning and swiping at the POS. By comparison, the US will have 31% of users doing so, and that figure will be 23% in Germany.”
Shanghai Metro installs QR code readers at turnstiles
Shanghai Metro will soon allow QR code payments — ECNS — “With QR code readers being installed at turnstiles in several Shanghai metro stations, subway passengers can pay their tickets via Alipay or China UnionPay simply by scanning the QR code. Maglev train stations at Pudong International Airport and Longyang Road will also accept QR payments.”
PCCW to test multi-currency mobile payments in Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai
PCCW Global and DHQ Tech to explore multi-currency Tap & Go mobile payment technology — HKT — “Our collaboration with DHQ Tech will enable Tap & Go users to pay for goods and services regardless of where in the world they originate from, or in which currency they wish to pay… Tap & Go is uniquely positioned to overcome all the hassles associated with making payments between currencies, and we expect ease of operation to deliver real benefits for regional trade and tourism.”
UnionPay rolls out Apple Pay transit payments in Guangzhou
Buses and subways to become new battlefield for mobile payments — South China Morning Post — “Commuters with UnionPay cards can now pay for their ride with their iPhone or Apple Watch at more than 6,000 subway gates at all stations in the city… Payments will be possible using technology called offline data authentication (ODA), and can be completed regardless of an internet connection… UnionPay estimates 90bn individual trips are made using Chinese buses and subways annually.”
Supermarket giant Carrefour launches mobile wallet in China
Carrefour unveils digital wallet, teams up with China UnionPay to develop mobile payment ecosystem — Yicai Global — “Europe’s largest retailer, France-based Carrefour SA, has introduced its own mobile wallet dubbed CarrefourPay and joined hands with China UnionPay, a bankcard provider, to build a mobile payment ecosphere… The cross-industry partnership will see both firms working together in such areas as general payment platforms, membership systems, secure payments, big data analysis and smart retail.”
Chinese government to embed eIDs in SIM cards
China to introduce eIDs embedded in SIM cards — ECNS — “China is planning to embed personal identity information into SIM cards to better protect citizens’ private information, according to the country’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS)… When making transactions with SIM eIDs, citizens will no longer need to provide personal information, such as their names, address, phone number, and ID number, because online platforms will be able to verify the authenticity and validity of the eID.”
Chinese consumers ready to go out without cash
84% Chinese can go out without cash — Xinhua — “Asked whether they can go out of their home without cash, 84% said they are ‘calm’ with it while only 4% cannot and 12% feels concerned.”
Chinese banks roll out face recognition at the ATM
Facial recognition debuts at China’s banks — Xinhua News Agency — “At the Agricultural Bank of China’s (ABC) three outlets in Jinan City, cards are no longer needed to withdraw money. A quick scan of the face will do… Other banks, such as the China Merchants Bank and the Construction Bank of China, have also introduced similar technology in their ATMs.”
Huawei Pay to launch in the US?
Huawei Pay to launch on Android in the US, trademark suggests — Android Headlines — “The Huawei Pay Android service may be coming to the United States, as suggested by a new trademark application which the Chinese original equipment manufacturer submitted to the US Patent and Trademark office on Saturday… News of Huawei’s latest move comes less than a month after the Shenzhen, China-based tech giant filed for an identical trademark in Europe where the European Union Intellectual Property Office is also still examining its request.”
Ant Financial plans Alipay feature to connect merchants and customers
Ant Financial plans Alipay feature to connect merchants and customers — China Daily — “The ‘Life Account’, embedded in the Alipay app, allows its 520 million users to search nearby merchants, receive discount coupons, make appointments and conduct payments… It also helps business and social entities tap into their key clients by identifying their location and consumption preferences.”
Alipay launches ‘Smile to Pay’ for commercial use in China
Alipay launches ‘Smile to Pay’ for commercial use in China — Alizila — “Smile to Pay, the first service of its type, debuted at a KFC’s new, healthy-food concept restaurant, called KPRO, in Hangzhou. With it, Alipay users can authenticate their payments through a combination of facial scanning and inputting their mobile phone numbers. That means they won’t need to break out their wallets — or even smartphones — anymore.”