Alipay and WeChat Pay logos for online payment are displayed at a store on November 9, 2019 in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province of China. Ant Group which runs Alipay and Tencent which runs WeChat Pay, are the two dominant players in China’s mobile payments space. But both companies offer other financial services. Regulators are keeping a closer eye on the fintech industry in China.
Wang Qiming | Visual China Group | Getty Images
GUANGZHOU, China — China’s top banking regulator on Tuesday questioned the power of the country’s large financial technology companies and hinted at “timely and targeted measures to prevent new systemic risks.”
The move appears to be a nod toward more regulations in China’s burgeoning fintech sector.
Over the past few months, Chinese regulators have been growing increasingly concerned about the size of its technology giants and have proposed draft rules to regulate areas including data use and antitrust.
Like in the U.S., China’s technology firms have been largely able to grow unencumbered and have become a feature of daily life in China — particularly in areas like mobile payments and communications.
On Tuesday, Guo Shuqing, chairman of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC), laid out areas that the authorities will be looking at closely in the fintech industry during a speech at the Singapore Fintech Festival.
“Facing the rapid growth of fintech, we will adopt a positive and prudent approach. We will encourage innovation while enhancing risk control, so as to address to new problems and challenges,” Guo said.
We might need to pay more attention to the following questions. Have the big tech blocked newcomers? Have they collected data improperly?
Guo Shuqing
Chairman, China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission
Cybersecurity is one area of concern for the regulator. He spent a lot of time questioning the power of big fintech giants in China, but did not mention any by name.
Guo said “promoting fair market competition” is a priority but traditional anti-monopoly laws might not work for the fintech industry.
“(The) fintech industry leads to many new phenomenon and problems. We might need to pay more attention to the following questions. Have the big tech blocked newcomers? Have they collected data improperly? Have they refused to disclose information that should be made public? Have they engaged in conduct misleading users and consumers?”
Last month, another regulator, the State Administration for Market Regulation, released draft rules that defined for the first time, what constitutes anti-competitive behavior. It is seen as broadly aimed at the country’s technology giants like Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, Meituan and others.
‘Timely and targeted measures’
When it comes to mobile payments, Alibaba affiliate Ant Group and Tencent are the two dominant players via their respective apps Alipay and WeChat. But they also operate other financial services such as linking borrowers to lenders. Without naming these firms, Guo appeared to take aim at both these companies that do more than just payments.
“Some big tech operate cross-sector business with financial and technology activities under one roof. It is necessary to closely follow this spillover … and take timely and targeted measures to prevent new systemic risks,” he said.
Data concerns with tech giants
Guo also said there is a need for “clarifying data ownership,” claiming large technology firms have “de-facto control over data.” He said it is “necessary to clarify data rights of different parties.”
Earlier this year, China’s legislature passed a Civil Code, which focuses on data protection for individual users. It is set to come into effect next year.
Guo also said there has to be a focus on strengthening international co-ordination for cross-border data flow.
In September, China launched a global data security initiative outlining principles that should be followed in areas from personal information to espionage.
