In order to thoroughly implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, and implement the requirements of the Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Further Optimizing Payment Services and Improving Payment Convenience, on April 16, the People's Bank of China, the Ministry of Commerce and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange jointly issued the Notice on Further Optimizing Payment Services in the Commercial Sector and Improving Payment Convenience (hereinafter referred to as the "Notice").
The Notice focuses on better meeting the diversified payment service needs of the elderly, foreign visitors to China and other groups in the commercial field, strengthens the cooperation between local commerce authorities and branches of the People's Bank of China, and strives to improve multi-level, Diversified payment service system to jointly improve the level of payment services in the commercial field.
In the next step, the People's Bank of China, the Ministry of Commerce and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange will refine the implementation measures, make concerted efforts from both the supply and demand ends of financial institutions and merchants, promote the promotion and application of various payment methods in the commercial field, provide more high-quality, efficient and convenient payment services, and effectively meet the payment service needs of the elderly, foreign visitors to China and other groups.
Annex:
Notice of the People's Bank of China, the Ministry of Commerce and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Further Optimizing Payment Services in the Commercial Sector and Improving Payment Convenience
Shanghai Headquarters of the People's Bank of China, branches of all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government and cities specifically designated in the state plan; competent departments of commerce of all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government, cities with separate planning status, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps; branches of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange in all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government, and cities specifically designated in the state plan:
In order to thoroughly implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, to better meet the needs of the elderly, foreign visitors to China and other groups in the commercial field, and to protect consumers' right to choose payment, in accordance with the requirements of the "Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Further Optimizing Payment Services and Improving the Convenience of Payment" (Guo Ban Fa [2024] No. 10), the following notice is hereby given on the work related to payment services in the commercial field:
1. Focus on key commercial venues and build an inclusive and diverse payment acceptance environment
(1) The competent departments of commerce in each region, in conjunction with branches of the People's Bank of China, shall determine the list of key places and key merchants such as large business districts, pedestrian streets, shopping centers, department stores, supermarket chains and convenience stores, restaurants, departure tax refund shops, and duty-free shops, and promote key venues and key merchants to be equipped with necessary software and hardware facilities for accepting mobile payments, domestic and foreign bank cards, cash, etc., to ensure that consumers independently choose payment methods and tools. Actively promote the national demonstration pedestrian street and demonstration smart business district key merchants to support the acceptance of domestic and foreign bank cards, and encourage all localities to actively create conditions for handling them mutatana. Include merchants' acceptance of domestic and foreign bank cards in the scope of service evaluations for relevant pilot demonstration services.
(2) Branches of the People's Bank of China promote banking financial institutions and non-bank payment institutions to strengthen service guarantees, accelerate the transformation and deployment of software and hardware of domestic and foreign bank card acceptance equipment in accordance with the directory of key venues and key merchants, and consider promoting the development of contactless payment as a whole. Promote banking financial institutions to carry out the transformation of automatic teller machines (ATMs) in key places, and support the use of domestic and foreign bank cards to withdraw cash. Branches of the People's Bank of China and local commerce authorities jointly carry out supervision and guidance on merchant acceptance coverage to promote the continuous optimization of the bank card acceptance environment.
2. Focus on the field of people's livelihood consumption and optimize the environment for the use of cash
(1) The competent departments of commerce in all regions, together with branches of the People's Bank of China, guide business entities in retail, catering, accommodation and other industries, especially convenience stores, market (farmer's) markets, vegetable markets, breakfast shops, beauty salons, pharmacies and other business entities in the field of people's livelihood, to make cash reserves, meet consumers' needs for cash use, and improve the ability to receive and pay cash in the field of daily consumption. Combined with the construction of a convenient living circle in the city within a quarter of an hour, guide relevant business entities to publicly promise to receive cash, and standardize the posting of signs supporting cash receipt and payment.
(2) Branches of the People's Bank of China guide banking financial institutions to come to help relevant business entities make cash reserves, and open up green channels for small-denomination cash and coin purse exchange services for the elderly, foreign visitors and other groups. Continue to carry out special rectification work on the refusal to accept RMB cash.
3. Strengthen innovation and integration, and enrich mobile payment applications
Promote banking financial institutions, non-bank payment institutions, and clearing institutions to improve mobile payment services, optimize identity information verification mechanisms, open service hotlines for the elderly, foreign visitors to China, and other groups, and produce promotional products such as graphics, texts, and videos, to increase the friendliness and convenience of registration and use of mobile payments. E-commerce platforms are encouraged to fully consider the consumption needs of foreign visitors to China, strengthen cooperation with banking financial institutions, non-bank payment institutions and clearing institutions, optimize international services, enrich product functions such as multi-language services and multi-payment options, and improve the online shopping payment experience.
4. Strengthen demonstration and guidance, and optimize the payment environment in international consumption center cities
Support international consumption center cities to optimize the payment environment for foreign visitors to China as an important task, and better play a leading role in demonstration. The convenience of payment will be included in the evaluation index for the cultivation and construction of international consumption center cities, establish a supervision mechanism, and accelerate the creation of a payment environment where multiple methods can be selected, multiple scenarios can be applied, and multiple currencies can be exchanged. It will take the lead in building a number of key business districts for payment facilitation for foreign visitors to China, and strive to basically achieve full coverage of overseas bank card acceptance by key merchants. Actively promote the establishment of payment service counters at ports of entry and key foreign-related venues, distribute multilingual and multi-type publicity materials, provide services such as currency exchange and guidance on the download of mobile payment applications (APP). Optimize and improve the level of payment services for foreign exhibitors and visitors at key exhibitions such as the CIIE, the Canton Fair, and the CIFTIS. Encourage other cities to carry out relevant work in accordance with the benchmark to improve the payment service experience of foreign visitors to China.
5. Strengthen publicity and promotion to enhance awareness of payment services
Branches of the People's Bank of China, branches of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, and competent departments of commerce in various localities should guide financial institutions and merchants to do a good job in posting signs such as domestic and foreign bank card swiping, ATM bank card cash withdrawal, cash acceptance, and foreign currency exchange, and strengthen the training of business personnel. Encourage banking financial institutions to set up payment service consultation points in large business districts and other places. Use various online and offline channels to carry out regular publicity on payment services, carry out publicity on maintaining the legal status of RMB and anti-counterfeit currency popularization, and continuously improve the awareness of payment services among the elderly, foreign visitors to China and other groups.
Branches of the People's Bank of China, local competent departments of commerce, and sub-bureaus of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange should attach great importance to improving their positions, strengthening division of labor and cooperation, formulating work plans, clarifying timetables and roadmaps, refining implementation measures in their respective jurisdictions, making efforts from both ends of financial institutions and merchants, promoting the promotion and application of various payment methods in the commercial field, providing more high-quality, efficient and convenient payment services, and effectively meeting the payment service needs of the elderly, foreign visitors and other groups.
People's Bank of China
Commerce
Safe
April 15, 2024
Source: People's Bank of China website