銀行卡清算市場放開 揮別銀聯壟斷時代
China's central bank issued regulations on bank card clearing, opening the process to foreign firms in a bid to boost fairness and improve services.
近日，央行發佈了銀行卡清算方面的管理辦法，向外資企業開放這一流程以促進公平競爭和完善服務。Chinese and foreign firms can apply to become bank card clearing institutions and they will enjoy the same treatment in regards to qualification, procedure and operation management, said a statement on the website of the People's Bank of China.
中國人民銀行在其官網上的一則聲明中表示，內資和外資企業可申請成爲銀行卡清算機構，且兩者在資格、程序、業務管理等方面享受同等待遇。
By the end of 2015, China had issued 5.44 billion bank cards, which were used to make 55 trillion yuan in transactions, about 48 percent of all retail sales, it said.
該聲明表示，截止2015年底，我國累計發行銀行卡54.42億張，全年銀行卡消費55.00萬億元，佔社會消費品零售總額的47.96%。
Currently, only China UnionPay, the national bank card association founded in 2002, is approved by the central bank to provide clearing services for bank card transactions.
目前，央行只允許中國銀聯--成立於2002年的全國銀行卡協會--提供銀行卡交易清算方面的服務。At an executive meeting of the State Council in October 2014, China decided to allow domestic and foreign companies, which met certain requirements, to apply to set up bank card transaction clearing institutions.
在2014年10月的國務院常務會議上，中國政府決定，允許符合一定的要求國內外公司申請設立銀行卡交易結算機構。Market insiders believe foreign penetration will further elevate competition in the business as "third party payment" companies, Alibaba's Alipay in particular, which offer convenient and free online payment services, are already eating into the user base of traditional card transactions.
市場內部人士認爲，提供便捷、免費的在線支付服務的第三方支付企業，尤其是阿里巴巴旗下的支付寶，已在侵蝕傳統銀行卡交易的用戶基礎，而外資機構的入場將進一步加劇業內競爭。
