China sets up clearing house for online payment services like AliPay and Tenpay

China’s central bank has ordered the establishment of a nationwide clearing house for online payment services, instructing them to route their transactions via the new platform, to shield consumers and the financial system from an internet-enabled model of finance that’s already made up almost 3 per cent of the country’s non-cash payments.

The China National Clearing Centre -- the Chinese central bank’s settlements and clearing arm -- signed an agreement on July 28 to establish the platform’s operating company with 44 financial firms, including Alibaba Group Holdings’ affiliate Ant Financial, Tencent Holdings and China UnionPay’s affiliate, according to an August 1 statement by HyUnion Holding Co.

Banks and online payment systems including Alibaba’s AliPay and Tencent’s Tenpay must connect to the new platform by October 15, and be ready to route transactions through it from June 30, 2018, according to a notice by the People’s Bank of China.

The new platform is the internet version of UnionPay’s clearing service for bank-to-bank transactions, while the new platform is for transactions involving third-party online payment firms and banks.

“The current direct connection model bypasses the central bank’s clearing system, making it difficult for regulators to track and monitor the capital flow of those payments, leaving loopholes for money laundering and other irregularities,” said Wang Pengbo, an analyst at Beijing-based consultancy Analysys.

For consumers, a unified nationwide platform and unified regulations, mean a safer payment online, he said.