2016年CRI China Sees Tremendous Growth in Mobile Payment Services

 

China's Ministry¹ of Industry and Information Technology says the country had 1.3 billion mobile phone users last year, and that 4G users accounted for a quarter of that figure.

This has created a huge market for mobile payment services. Whether it's online shopping or utility payment, buying groceries or even paying for parking, mobile payments have permeated² the daily lives of many Chinese users.

China's central bank says that, in the first three quarters of last year, the country's total mobile payments amounted to around 85 trillion yuan, or around 13 trillion US dollars, an annual increase of 45 percent.

Despite these figures, an official from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology Dai Xiaohui says mobile payment as a service industry is still in its early stages of development.

"Mobile payment services have a very wide industrial chain, linking the customers and vendors³. The chips in smart phones can connect with payment platforms, which are supported by mobile network operators, third party payment service providers and financial institutions. Software developers and system integrators are also involved. The complex chain consists of many players, each with its own resources and potential, and they are all still looking for new breakthroughs."

Notable mobile payment service providers in China include Alibaba's Alipay, Tencent's WeChat and Baidu's Baidu Wallet. Last December, Apple and China UnionPay announced a partnership⁴ to bring Apple Pay to China.

Market leader Alipay boasts 400 million users, more than half of whom regularly make mobile payments.

Different business strategies have also helped other players to capture impressive market shares.

Xu Yanjun is the director of an electronic payment research center with China UnionPay.

He says these payment platforms should consider how to elevate customer experience by balancing security and convenience.

"We now need to consider how to integrate mobile payments with different service industries to provide better customer experiences. With new technologies and the emergence⁵ of cloud computing⁶ and big data, ensuring both security and convenience of usage presents the next big opportunity for growth for these service providers."

Yang Tao is the Director of the Research Center for Payment and Settlement under China Academy of Social Sciences.

He says the sector⁷'s rapid growth and associated risks call for mature and systematic⁸ legal regulation.

"Mobile payments' security risks affect customers' privacy and assets, and there could be other illegal activities. These are all challenges for the industry, which involves so many players. It does not benefit the sector if each player is regulated individually. Additionally, service providers have come up with related financial services. On the national level, we lack technological⁹ and operation regulations for these services. A better regulated industry will help to create healthy and fair competition."

Last December, China's central bank released detailed¹⁰ regulations of online payment services by non-bank institutions.

Among the highlights, the rules require real-name registrations¹¹ for all non-bank payment accounts, and limit the amount of payment to protect customers from potential risks.

The new policy will go into effect this July.

For CRI, I'm Victor Ning.

1 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

2 permeated   

弥漫( permeate的过去式和过去分词 )； 遍布； 渗入； 渗透

参考例句：

• The smell of leather permeated the room. 屋子里弥漫着皮革的气味。
• His public speeches were permeated with hatred of injustice. 在他对民众的演说里，充满了对不公正的愤慨。

3 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

4 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

5 emergence   

n.浮现，显现，出现，（植物）突出体

参考例句：

• The last decade saw the emergence of a dynamic economy.最近10年见证了经济增长的姿态。
• Language emerges and develops with the emergence and development of society.语言是随着社会的产生而产生，随着社会的发展而发展的。

6 computing   

n.计算

参考例句：

• to work in computing 从事信息处理
• Back in the dark ages of computing, in about 1980, they started a software company. 早在计算机尚未普及的时代（约1980年），他们就创办了软件公司。

7 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

8 systematic   

adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的

参考例句：

• The way he works isn't very systematic.他的工作不是很有条理。
• The teacher made a systematic work of teaching.这个教师进行系统的教学工作。

9 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

10 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

11 registrations   

n.登记( registration的名词复数 )；登记项目；登记（或注册、挂号）人数；（管风琴）音栓配合（法）

参考例句：

• In addition to the check-in procedures, the room clerks are customarily responsible for recording advance registrations. 除了办理住宿手续外，客房登记员按惯例还负责预约登记。 来自辞典例句
• Be the Elekta expert for products registrations in China. 成为在中国注册产品的医科达公司专家。 来自互联网