By Nse Anthony-Uko
(Sundiata Post) – China’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) has said foreign companies can now apply licences to venture in the country’s payment market, opening its gate for financial technology companies to tap into its $27 trillion payment market
The PBoC in a statement at the weekend said not only will it grant licences to foreign players in its payment industry but it will also ensure that they are treated the same as local players. It however noted that applicants will have to make sure that they set up local units and establish the infrastructure by themselves.
Also companies will have to make sure that they have high-end disaster recovery systems and above all the client information should be stored domestically. Any foreign company willing to establish its footstep in China’s payments market will have to compete with very well established players like Tencent Holdings’s WeChat Pay and Ant Financial Services Group’s Alipay along with a big list of 260 firms who have received payment licenses.
A Hong Kong-based economist at ING Groep NV, Iris Pang told Bloomberg that “the domestic market is quite saturated with very strong domestic players, and it is relatively hard for foreign companies to get a piece of the pie. But there is a chance for them to compete in the cross-border payment market.”
This decision comes collectively from the Chinese government and PBoC after the latest appointment of the new PBoC chief Yi Gang. Yi Gang is well-known for his pro-market philosophy and has recently signaled that he will push and promote financial liberalization in the country.
Son following his appointment and while talking to reporters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Yi said “the main task is that we should implement prudent monetary policy, push forward the reform and opening-up of the financial sector, and maintain the stability of the entire financial sector.”
The Wall Street Journal had earlier reported that the Chinese government and PBoC are looking forward to giving foreign players a chance to explore the country’s local financial market. The WSJ reported that the Chinese government wants foreign companies to specifically participate in the insurance and payments market and thus free up these two industries.
Eswar Prasad, a Cornell University professor and former China head for the International Monetary Fund, told the WSJ that “Liu and Yi have a shared understanding of the need for financial market reforms and liberalization, coupled with more effective regulation.”
Wei Chun, a local analyst, stated: “In summary, the Chinese government have shown a positive attitude towards blockchain technology despite its enforcement on cryptocurrency and mining operations. China wants to control cryptocurrency, and China will get control. The repeated enforcements by the regulators were meant to protect its citizens from the financial risk of cryptocurrencies and limit capital outflow.”