Tencent is developing a credit scoring system as it ramps up its battle with rival Alibaba for a share of China’s $5.5tn mobile payments market.

騰訊(Tencent)正在開發一種信用評分系統。在中國5.5萬億美元的移動支付市場上，該公司加大了與阿里巴巴(Alibaba)爭奪市場份額的力度。

Ant Financial, Alibaba’s payments affiliate, launched its Sesame Credit two years ago, parlaying its data on consumers into a measure of their trustworthiness, providing comfort for small businesses and consumers alike.

兩年前，阿里巴巴的支付業務關聯公司螞蟻金服(Ant Financial)上線了芝麻信用(Sesame Credit)，利用其掌握的消費者數據來評估他們的信用，為小企業和消費者帶來安慰。

Alipay, the mobile payment service of Ant Financial, has 520m users.

螞蟻金服的手機支付服務支付寶(Alipay)目前擁有5.2億用戶。

Tencent now aims to launch a similar service, which likewise accounts for users’ social and financial histories to assess their credit risk.

騰訊現在打算推出一項類似服務，同樣利用用戶的社交與財務記錄來評估他們的信用風險。

Credit scoring is popular in China, especially among younger subscribers who lack a credit history but might be eligible for a high rating that would let them rent hotel rooms, bikes or phone chargers without leaving a deposit. The services are particularly valuable given the lack of access to credit cards in the country.

信用評分在中國很受歡迎，尤其是在比較年輕的訂戶當中。這些人缺乏信用記錄，但也許應該獲得高評級，讓他們不必交押金就能租住酒店客房，租用自行車或手機充電器。鑒于在中國難以獲得信用卡，這些服務尤其有價值。

Tencent is testing a credit scoring service among a small group of its subscribers, upping the stakes as the two tech titans engage in an aggressive promotion this week encouraging Chinese to forgo cash in favour of payments made with a swipe of the phone.

騰訊正在一小群訂戶中試驗一項信用評分服務，從而加大了押注，兩大科技巨頭本周在開展一場聲勢浩大的推廣活動，鼓勵中國人放棄使用現金，轉而刷手機支付。

China is streets ahead of the rest of the world in mobile payments — its market is more than 50 times the size of the US — buoyed by a boom in online shopping and the dearth of alternatives such as credit cards. iResearch said China’s mobile payments hit $5.5tn last year, 50 times the size of the US’s $112bn market, based on Forrester Research figures.

中國在移動支付領域遠遠領先于世界其他地區——市場規模高于美國的50倍——其動力在于在線購物的繁榮和信用卡等替代選擇缺乏。艾瑞咨詢(iResearch)表示，去年中國移動支付市場規模達到5.5萬億美元，而根據福里斯特調查公司(Forrester Research)的數據，美國移動支付市場規模為1120億美元，這意味著中國移動支付市場規模為美國的50倍。

The sector is dominated by the country’s two biggest tech groups. While Alibaba long commanded the lion’s share, it has recently been ceding ground to Tencent.

中國移動支付行業被兩大科技巨頭所主宰。盡管阿里巴巴長期占據最大份額，但近來騰訊奪走了一些地盤。

Tencent’s share rose to 39.5 per cent in the first quarter of the year, according to data from consultancy Analysys, while Alipay dipped to 53.7 per cent. That compared with respective 16 per cent and 71 per cent shares seen in the third quarter of 2024.

咨詢機構易觀國際(Analysys)數據顯示，今年第一季度，騰訊的市場份額上升至39.5%，而阿里巴巴的份額則下滑至53.7%。這與2024年第三季度形成反差，當時騰訊份額為16%，阿里巴巴份額為71%。

Matthew Brennan, co-founder of tech consultancy China Channel, said Tencent’s move into credit scoring demonstrated its desire to build on its payments business, which is largely restricted to small transactions in convenience stores and peer-to-peer lending.

科技咨詢公司China Channel聯合創始人馬修?布倫南(Matthew Brennan)表示，騰訊進入信用評分領域表明，該公司希望加強其支付業務——目前主要局限在便利店小額交易和P2P借貸。

Tencent has been signing up scores of physical stores this year, including Starbucks. Almost all of the US group’s 2,600 China cafés accept Weixin Pay — the one on Alibaba’s campus in Hangzhou being a notable exception.

今年，騰訊一直在與包括星巴克(Starbucks)在內的大量實體店簽約。這家美國集團的幾乎所有2600家中國咖啡廳都已接受微信支付(Weixin Pay)——杭州阿里巴巴園區的星巴克成為一個引人注目的例外。

“Tencent obviously wants to change that, and they need to build up infrastructure to compete with Alipay’s more mature offering,” he said. “Credit scoring is an essential part of that.”

“騰訊明顯想改變局面，他們需要強化基礎設施來跟阿里巴巴更成熟的產品與服務展開競爭，”他說，“信用評分是其中一個必不可少的部分。”

Both players have made big use of promotions, culminating in this week’s frenzy. Tuesday is the last day of Alipay’s “Golden Week”, when users will receive randomly allotted cash back, ranging from Rmb0.88 to Rmb4,888 ($0.13 to $728). Tencent begins its promotional day on Tuesday — August 8, which sounds like “wealth” in mandarin.

兩個對手都進行了大力推廣，在本周達到瘋狂頂點。周二是阿里巴巴“黃金周”的最后一天。在該活動中，用戶將隨機收到獎勵金，從0.88元人民幣至4888元人民幣（0.13美元至728美元）不等。騰訊在8月8日周二啟動推廣日——8在漢語里聽起來像是“發”。

Tencent could not be reached for comment.

記者聯系不上騰訊請其置評。

Tencent is developing a credit scoring system as it ramps up its battle with rival Alibaba for a share of China’s $5.5tn mobile payments market.

騰訊(Tencent)正在開發一種信用評分系統。在中國5.5萬億美元的移動支付市場上，該公司加大了與阿里巴巴(Alibaba)爭奪市場份額的力度。

Ant Financial, Alibaba’s payments affiliate, launched its Sesame Credit two years ago, parlaying its data on consumers into a measure of their trustworthiness, providing comfort for small businesses and consumers alike.

兩年前，阿里巴巴的支付業務關聯公司螞蟻金服(Ant Financial)上線了芝麻信用(Sesame Credit)，利用其掌握的消費者數據來評估他們的信用，為小企業和消費者帶來安慰。

Alipay, the mobile payment service of Ant Financial, has 520m users.

螞蟻金服的手機支付服務支付寶(Alipay)目前擁有5.2億用戶。

Tencent now aims to launch a similar service, which likewise accounts for users’ social and financial histories to assess their credit risk.

騰訊現在打算推出一項類似服務，同樣利用用戶的社交與財務記錄來評估他們的信用風險。

Credit scoring is popular in China, especially among younger subscribers who lack a credit history but might be eligible for a high rating that would let them rent hotel rooms, bikes or phone chargers without leaving a deposit. The services are particularly valuable given the lack of access to credit cards in the country.

信用評分在中國很受歡迎，尤其是在比較年輕的訂戶當中。這些人缺乏信用記錄，但也許應該獲得高評級，讓他們不必交押金就能租住酒店客房，租用自行車或手機充電器。鑒于在中國難以獲得信用卡，這些服務尤其有價值。

Tencent is testing a credit scoring service among a small group of its subscribers, upping the stakes as the two tech titans engage in an aggressive promotion this week encouraging Chinese to forgo cash in favour of payments made with a swipe of the phone.

騰訊正在一小群訂戶中試驗一項信用評分服務，從而加大了押注，兩大科技巨頭本周在開展一場聲勢浩大的推廣活動，鼓勵中國人放棄使用現金，轉而刷手機支付。

China is streets ahead of the rest of the world in mobile payments — its market is more than 50 times the size of the US — buoyed by a boom in online shopping and the dearth of alternatives such as credit cards. iResearch said China’s mobile payments hit $5.5tn last year, 50 times the size of the US’s $112bn market, based on Forrester Research figures.

中國在移動支付領域遠遠領先于世界其他地區——市場規模高于美國的50倍——其動力在于在線購物的繁榮和信用卡等替代選擇缺乏。艾瑞咨詢(iResearch)表示，去年中國移動支付市場規模達到5.5萬億美元，而根據福里斯特調查公司(Forrester Research)的數據，美國移動支付市場規模為1120億美元，這意味著中國移動支付市場規模為美國的50倍。

The sector is dominated by the country’s two biggest tech groups. While Alibaba long commanded the lion’s share, it has recently been ceding ground to Tencent.

中國移動支付行業被兩大科技巨頭所主宰。盡管阿里巴巴長期占據最大份額，但近來騰訊奪走了一些地盤。

Tencent’s share rose to 39.5 per cent in the first quarter of the year, according to data from consultancy Analysys, while Alipay dipped to 53.7 per cent. That compared with respective 16 per cent and 71 per cent shares seen in the third quarter of 2024.

咨詢機構易觀國際(Analysys)數據顯示，今年第一季度，騰訊的市場份額上升至39.5%，而阿里巴巴的份額則下滑至53.7%。這與2024年第三季度形成反差，當時騰訊份額為16%，阿里巴巴份額為71%。

Matthew Brennan, co-founder of tech consultancy China Channel, said Tencent’s move into credit scoring demonstrated its desire to build on its payments business, which is largely restricted to small transactions in convenience stores and peer-to-peer lending.

科技咨詢公司China Channel聯合創始人馬修?布倫南(Matthew Brennan)表示，騰訊進入信用評分領域表明，該公司希望加強其支付業務——目前主要局限在便利店小額交易和P2P借貸。

Tencent has been signing up scores of physical stores this year, including Starbucks. Almost all of the US group’s 2,600 China cafés accept Weixin Pay — the one on Alibaba’s campus in Hangzhou being a notable exception.

今年，騰訊一直在與包括星巴克(Starbucks)在內的大量實體店簽約。這家美國集團的幾乎所有2600家中國咖啡廳都已接受微信支付(Weixin Pay)——杭州阿里巴巴園區的星巴克成為一個引人注目的例外。

“Tencent obviously wants to change that, and they need to build up infrastructure to compete with Alipay’s more mature offering,” he said. “Credit scoring is an essential part of that.”

“騰訊明顯想改變局面，他們需要強化基礎設施來跟阿里巴巴更成熟的產品與服務展開競爭，”他說，“信用評分是其中一個必不可少的部分。”

Both players have made big use of promotions, culminating in this week’s frenzy. Tuesday is the last day of Alipay’s “Golden Week”, when users will receive randomly allotted cash back, ranging from Rmb0.88 to Rmb4,888 ($0.13 to $728). Tencent begins its promotional day on Tuesday — August 8, which sounds like “wealth” in mandarin.

兩個對手都進行了大力推廣，在本周達到瘋狂頂點。周二是阿里巴巴“黃金周”的最后一天。在該活動中，用戶將隨機收到獎勵金，從0.88元人民幣至4888元人民幣（0.13美元至728美元）不等。騰訊在8月8日周二啟動推廣日——8在漢語里聽起來像是“發”。

Tencent could not be reached for comment.

記者聯系不上騰訊請其置評。