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发帖数: 6411 | 1 http://www.marketwatch.com/story/china-suspends-two-forms-of-sm
BEIJING--China's central bank is temporarily suspending the use of two forms
of smartphone payments in a setback for China's two largest Internet
companies as they try to gain a larger share of the online finance market.
State-owned People's Daily, in its online edition, cited a People's Bank of
China official Friday as saying that the central bank would halt the use of
QR codes and virtual credit cards in smartphone payment systems. The
official said the bank was examining potential security risks to users of
those two payment platforms.
The People's Bank of China didn't respond to a request for comment.
Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Alibaba Group Holding have been aggressively
expanding their smartphone payment operations in a bid to get consumers to
use their services to directly pay for goods and services. The two companies
have wielded increasing power as China's more than 500 million smartphone
users take to their phones to do everything from ordering and paying for a
taxi to shopping online.
A spokeswoman for Alibaba didn't respond to a request for comment.
A Tencent spokesman said the company continually reviews its service and
would take action if necessary.
"We continually review and take measures on suspicious cases of spam,
violent, pornographic and illegal content. We also welcome users to report
to us online or through our 24-hour hotline," the spokesman said.
Earlier this week, both Tencent and Alibaba announced virtual credit card
programs in cooperation with China Citic Bank, extending credit lines
directly to users over their smartphones. The credit lines could then be
used to purchase goods through e-commerce sites that supported Citic's
credit cards.
QR Codes have also emerged as a popular way to facilitate direct payments
between two people with smartphones. The code, a complex pattern that can be
scanned by smartphones, has been increasingly used by Internet companies as
one step in the transfer of funds via smartphones.
The People's Daily report said the halt was designed to give the central
bank time to assess the risks of the new technology. Still, it is a worrying
sign for the two Internet giants, which have spent hundreds of millions of
dollars buying up smaller businesses to facilitate transactions between
smartphone users and businesses.
The news sent Tencent's shares down 5% in early morning trading on the Hong
Kong Stock Exchange to 558.50 Hong Kong dollars (US$71.9). The benchmark
Hang Seng Index was down 1%. |
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