
Several government-owned funds and institutions are investors in Ant Group, Alipay’s owner. But in response to the government’s scrutiny, Alipay and WeChat deliberately now say they are partners to banks, not competitors. These apps initially portrayed themselves as alternatives to the conventional, government-backed banking system. And where the apps make their real money - in making loans and selling investments - the government wants to make sure borrowers aren’t being gouged and investment funds aren’t taking on excessive risks. It put a cap on fees that Alipay and WeChat can charge merchants. How did China’s government respond to these two apps creating a financial system outside its explicit control? There are also concerns that Alipay and WeChat are so dominant that no one can compete with them. Imagine if powerful tech companies like Google knew everything you’ve purchased in your entire life.


Shira: How did Alipay and WeChat get so popular in China? My colleague Ray Zhong, who used to live in Beijing and wrote about Alipay’s parent company selling stock to the public for the first time, spoke with me about how China’s digital payment apps created new kinds of commerce, and whether China offers a glimpse at a cashless future for the rest of us.
#Wechat pay chinachina drivers
Paying by app is so much the norm that taxi drivers might curse at you for handing them cash.
#Wechat pay chinachina code
Most businesses there, from the fanciest hotels to roadside fruit stands, display a QR code - a type of bar code - that people scan with a smartphone camera to pay with China’s dominant digital payment apps, Alipay and WeChat. It’s hard for those of us who live outside of China to grasp how paying for everything has gone digital in the country.

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