Beijing asks WeChat to lower its mobile payment share amid digital yuan pilot

As a long-term crypto investor with experience in the Chinese market, I’m closely monitoring the latest developments regarding China’s regulatory actions towards WeChat Pay and the digital yuan.


China’s regulatory authorities have requested that Tencent Holdings decrease the dominance of WeChat in the mobile payment market, following closely on the heels of Beijing initiating the digital yuan trial in Hong Kong.

According to Nikkei’s reliable sources, Chinese regulators have reportedly put pressure on Tencent Holdings to decrease the dominance of its WeChat app in China’s mobile payment market, specifically for QR code-based in-person transactions, instead of online shopping payments.

As a crypto investor following the developments in the tech world, I’ve come across some intriguing news regarding WeChat Pay. Although the exact percentage points for their planned market share reduction haven’t been disclosed yet, a source close to the company revealed to Nikkei that “I personally believe WeChat isn’t pursuing new user growth aggressively and is taking a prudent approach to mitigate potential risks of becoming excessively large.”

As an analyst, I’ve observed that WeChat Pay and Ant Group’s Alipay hold a significant market share in China’s mobile payment landscape, with around 185 non-bank payment institutions present. The recent regulatory measures, however, are yet to be fully understood. It’s plausible that these actions align with Beijing’s initiatives to boost the usage of its state-backed digital currency, referred to as the digital yuan or e-CNY.

The digital yuan, which was first introduced in 2020, has faced challenges in gaining widespread adoption. Some individuals have expressed reservations about using it, citing the lack of interest earned and restricted functionality as their reasons.

“I don’t like leaving my money in the e-CNY app as I earn no interest on it.”

Sammy Lin, an account manager at a state-owned bank in Suzhou

In a recent development, China has introduced its digital yuan currency in Hong Kong for the first time as a pilot scheme, just over two weeks after making it available on the mainland. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority announced that local residents can deposit up to 10,000 Chinese Yuan (around $1,385) into their digital wallets through 17 participating banks in Hong Kong. However, they are unable to engage in peer-to-peer transactions using this digital currency at present.

According to Nikkei’s report, China’s mobile payment market is extremely profitable. In the first quarter alone, the value of mobile transactions facilitated by third-party service providers exceeded 92 trillion yuan ($12 trillion). This figure includes 15.59 trillion yuan worth of transactions made using QR codes, based on Analysis’ data.

As a researcher studying the tech industry in China, I’ve noticed that the Chinese government has issued a directive to Tencent regarding WeChat Pay. This move seems to be part of a larger strategy to prevent privately-owned tech giants from overshadowing state-backed digital currencies, such as the digital yuan. By restricting WeChat Pay’s market dominance, Beijing may be attempting to create a more level playing field and provide greater opportunities for the digital yuan to expand and become an integral part of Chinese citizens’ daily financial transactions.

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2024-05-31 12:26