TOPIC

/ company

WeChat

Released by Chinese web giant Tencent in 2011, WeChat is one of the largest messaging apps in the world, with more than 1 billion monthly active users, primarily in China. Originally confined to text messaging, WeChat has grown into an app platform, with gaming, payment, and social networking functions.

Chairman / President

Ma Huateng

CEO / Managing Director

Ma Huateng

CFO / Finance Director

John Lo

Industry

Social media

Website

wechat.com

Headquarters address

Tencent Binhai Towers, No. 33 Haitian Second Road,Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China

Stock Code

SEHK:2011

Year founded

2011

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WeChat

Chinese social media is awash with criticisms of the US. Can it go too far?

Online responses range from sarcastic variants on Beijing’s official line to ‘armchair generals’ telling Tehran how best to fight America.

Apple reduces App Store commissions in China, to applause from Tencent, NetEase

China fines firms for fake ChatGPT and DeepSeek services

When context is everything, AI models still struggle in the real world: Tencent

Despite rapid advances, today’s top AI models are still “brittle” in messy, real-world environments, according to new Tencent research.

Tencent’s giveaway campaign for AI chatbot Yuanbao blocked – by WeChat

Units clash as super app blocks links from AI chatbot’s US$144 million promotion for ‘impacting user experience and causing harassment’.

Red packet rumble: will Tencent’s cash giveaway work again in crowded AI market?

Analysts say strong competition from ByteDance, DeepSeek, Ant Group and Alibaba may prevent Tencent’s Yuanbao from repeating WeChat glory.

Chinese tech giants Tencent and Baidu join fight for Spring Festival spotlight

The two companies launch digital red packet campaigns following tie-up moves by ByteDance and Alibaba with CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala.

Tencent crackdown on third-party WeChat backup tools sparks privacy debate

WeChat offers its own storage management feature, but some use third-party services for more functionality.

Uber’s WeChat tie-up pays off as demand from Chinese tourists rises overseas

Uber will offer a discount of at least 40 per cent during Lunar New Year for new mainland users who join via its WeChat mini-program.

Mapping issues in 7 of 8 power bank rental platforms tested by Hong Kong watchdog

Consumer Council also finds significant variance in rental fees across different stations within the same platform.

Chinese robot vacuum maker Dreame gives staff gifts of gold, trip to Antarctica

Dreame’s surprise largesse reflects its robust business growth in 2025, as it remains one of the world’s top robot vacuum cleaner brands.

ByteDance, other major Chinese tech firms lead local consumer AI market: report

ByteDance-owned Doubao remains the country’s top consumer AI app, as DeepSeek’s namesake chatbot takes the No 2 spot.

Why retailers are beating a hasty retreat from mainland China

Hong Kong retailer Mannings will cease online operations from December 26 and close its physical stores after January 15.

Alipay and Rokid open up AI payment function on smart glasses to developers

The function has been made available to participants in the Rokid Spatial Joy 25 Global AR and AI Developer Competition.

‘Like a market’: Chinese marriage brokers hunt for brides in Nepal

China’s bachelor crisis meets Nepal’s poverty in a trade that blurs the lines between arranged marriage and coercion.

ByteDance’s agentic AI smartphone dials up a digital backlash by China’s top apps

ByteDance’s new AI smartphone has run into resistance, as major Chinese platforms move to block its features citing fairness and security.

Elon Musk reiterates aim to transform X into a ‘WeChat++’ super app

Users ‘live their life on WeChat in China’ and there is no equivalent app elsewhere in the world, the entrepreneur says.

‘Feeling powerless’: Hong Kong internet users grieve over Tai Po blaze

As death toll rises, residents offer condolences to victims and call for support and blood donations.

Alibaba bets on ‘everything app’ Qwen to define AI era for global consumers

Qwen has the potential to become super-app, the same way Tencent’s WeChat defined the mobile internet age, analysts say.

China’s tech giants to lead AI growth despite chip challenge: JPMorgan

The likes of Tencent and Alibaba are expected to focus on integrating AI features into their ‘killer apps’, benefiting downstream sectors.

Tencent posts 19% jump in third-quarter profit on AI gains, beating estimates

Shenzhen-based tech giant, which has been doubling down on its AI efforts, sees more than a 20 per cent jump in research and development efficiency.

Hong Kong positioned as stablecoin bridge for mainland Chinese firms: Ebanx

Global digital payment services provider attracted by the city’s ‘transformational’ stablecoin framework.

Gangs in China exploiting US gift cards to move stolen cash, DHS says

Stolen cards are used to buy goods like iPhones, which are then sold in China, with the proceeds converted into digital currency.

To Summer, the cult Chinese perfume house, opens in Hong Kong

The proudly Asian brand’s Causeway Bay store is a 1960s-inspired tribute to the women of Hong Kong, filled with nostalgia-infused scents.

China and US agree to target money launderers linked to fentanyl trade

Cracking down on finances from the illegal trade is an area of ‘extreme agreement’, Scott Bessent says after Madrid trade talks.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | AI-enhanced nutrition must enhance our agency, not undermine it

Artificial intelligence is powering a nutrition revolution in Asia. To ensure public trust, innovation must put consumers at the forefront.

China’s social media sites rush to abide by AI-generated content labelling law

The law requires explicit and implicit labels for AI-generated text, images, audio, video and other virtual content.

Tencent counts on Chinese AI tools demand to lift overseas cloud business

Tencent says there is a lot of opportunities to bring Chinese open-source AI models to overseas clients.

Opinion | AI-enhanced nutrition must enhance our agency, not undermine it