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Online Cross-Border Expansion into China

Through our local team of experts in China, Worldline has developed an in-depth understanding of China’s unique e-commerce and payments landscape. With a full suite of online payment solutions tailored to the preferences of Chinese consumers, we are better placed than ever to support e-commerce players successfully in this dynamic market.

Payment methods in China

ALIPAY

Alibaba is the largest e-commerce ecosystem in China.

Alipay is their own version of an e-wallet and is currently one of the most prominent payment methods for Chinese consumers to pay in real-time on desktop or mobile.

Multiple payment flows (PC browser, mobile browser, and
in-app)

Price in CNY, report in EUR

No local entity required

No chargebacks

Multiple partial refunds

Reporting and reconciliation

Authorisation currencies: CNY, AUD, CAD, EUR, HKD, GBP, SGD, and USD

Learn more about Alipay

WECHAT PAY

China’s most popular messaging app is also a service and social media hub.

The WeChat platform provides a fully integrated experience, including gaming, shopping, and payments.
Versatile coverage has allowed WeChat Pay to become engrained in the daily lives of one billion Chinese consumers. WeChat Pay works like an e-wallet on mobile phones and can even be used for offline point-of-sale payments, such as taxis, stores, and street vendors.

Multiple payment flows (PC browser, mobile browser, in-app, and WeChat mini-programs)

No local entity required

No chargeback risk

Authorisation currency: CNY

Learn more about WeChat Pay

UNIONPAY

Now present in 170 countries, UnionPay is the largest card payment organisation in the world.

Worldline supports both UnionPay International and China UnionPay, the preferred payment method of choice for local payments through UnionPay.
UnionPay plays a vital role as it aggregates multiple payment methods, such as card payments and online/mobile banking. In fact, some UnionPay credit cards are also affiliated with other major international card schemes

Real-time authorisation

Secure payments

Fast settlement cycle

International acceptance

Recurring payments

No local entity required

Authorisation currencies: CNY + 140 other currencies

Learn more about UnionPay

TUITION TRANSFERS

Processing tuition payments for Chinese students studying abroad has its unique challenges.

So we’ve teamed up with GeoSwift — an expert in cross-border payments with China — to offer a specialised service for educational institutions.
Our partnership allows us to collect funds in China in CNY, handle all the required reporting and paperwork, and repatriate them for you. It means you receive payment in your local currency into your local bank account at a competitive exchange rate.

Remittance and reconciliation

Repatriation of funds

Reporting to Chinese State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE)

Digital Landscape

Online on the rise

Overall, 57% of Chinese consumers are connected to the internet. This rises to as much as 70-80% in large cities. With more than 800 million people connected, China is home to over a quarter of all internet users on the planet — and growing by over 41 million a year.

Mobile-first, mobile always

Chinese consumers are almost exclusively mobile. 98% of users access the internet on smartphones and tablets, meaning mobile optimisation is critical to provide the best possible consumer experience. Worldline’s checkout flows and hosted pages are designed to let the mobile experience shine.

Leading the way in e-commerce

The country that first introduced the world to banknotes is now setting the pace in going cashless. As a relative latecomer to the market, they have been able to leapfrog bricks-and-mortar and bypass legacy payment systems. Advanced mobile payments offer a seamless experience both online and in-store.

Key Business Sectors

Retail

Online retailers tend to go for an exclusive deal with either Alipay or WeChat Pay. We connect you to both, including payments in WeChat mini-programmes. We offer like-for-like processing so that you can price and accept payment in CNY.

Travel

In travel, WeChat mini-programmes are a common way to communicate offers and make sales. And, unlike other payment providers, Worldline actually supports mini-programmes. Like-for-like pricing and processing in CNY give local consumers transparency and confidence.

Gaming

We provide in-app flows and support mini-programmes in WeChat, alongside mobile-optimised payment pages for other methods. They all work seamlessly with in-app flows on mobile, exactly how 98% of local consumers interact with merchants.

Unlock the power of online payments

Contact our experts today.

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