Notice of the General Office of the State Council on Further Optimizing Payment Services
Opinions on improving payment convenience
State Council issued [2024] No. 10
The people's governments of all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government, all ministries and commissions of the State Council, and all agencies directly under the State Council:
Improving the level of payment services, clearing up payment blockages, promoting payments for the people, and achieving seamless domestic and international connections are necessary to optimize the business environment, an important measure to serve high-quality development, and intrinsic to promoting high-level opening up to the outside world. Require.
In recent years, mobile payment has developed rapidly in my country, playing an important role in benefiting businesses and people, activating transactions, and prospering the market.
At the same time, because my country’s elderly and other groups prefer to use cash, some foreigners in China are accustomed to paying with bank cards or cash and are not used to or adaptable to using mobile payments. The inclusiveness of payment services needs to be improved.
In order to better meet the diverse payment service needs of the elderly, foreigners in China and other groups, promote the parallel development and complementation of mobile payment, bank cards, cash and other payment methods, further improve the level of payment services, better serve society and people's livelihood, and optimize To improve the business environment and promote high-level opening up to the outside world, with the approval of the State Council, the following opinions are hereby put forward.
1. Overall requirements
(1) Guiding ideology
Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, based on the new development stage, we will completely, accurately and comprehensively implement the new development concept, accelerate the construction of a new development pattern, and coordinate efforts to open up the existing blockages in payment services based on the payment habits of different groups. To bridge the digital divide, we strive to improve the multi-level and diversified payment service system and provide more high-quality, efficient and convenient payment services for the elderly, foreigners in China and other groups.
(2) Basic principles
——Adhere to goal orientation and problem orientation, and work hard to solve key blocking problems.
Focusing on improving payment convenience for the elderly, foreigners coming to China and other groups, we will focus on bank card acceptance, cash payment, mobile payment, account services, publicity and promotion and other key areas and links, implement precise policies and targeted efforts, and continue to Deepen the construction of payment service scenarios, enrich the supply of payment services, and continuously improve the level of payment services.
——Adhere to overall planning and coordination, and combine effective markets with promising governments.
Strengthen collaboration between government departments, focus on joint efforts between the central and local governments, and establish positive interactive relationships between central departments, central and local governments, and the government and the market.
Stimulate the enthusiasm and initiative of payment service entities such as banking financial institutions (hereinafter referred to as banks), non-bank payment institutions (hereinafter referred to as payment institutions), clearing institutions, foreign currency exchange institutions, etc., and continue to increase investment in human, financial, technical and other resources, Jointly promote the implementation of various optimization measures.
——Insist on effectively enhancing the compatibility and inclusiveness of various payment methods, and provide diversified payment services for consumers at home and abroad.
Adhere to making progress while maintaining stability, fully consider the payment habits of different groups, retain traditional service methods such as cash, passbooks, and bank cards, and continue to maintain and upgrade service facilities such as bank card acceptance terminals (POS machines) and automated teller machines (ATMs).
Support payment service entities that carry out mobile payment, online payment and other businesses to continue to innovate and jointly build a payment service system in which various payment services are compatible, symbiotic and collaborative.
——Insist on coordinating development and safety, and balance and optimize services with risk prevention and control.
Support and guide payment service entities to continue to optimize business processes and introduce convenient measures to continuously improve the convenience and satisfaction of payment services for the elderly, foreigners in China and other groups.
Carry out transaction monitoring and risk assessment, and strengthen internal risk prevention and control.
2. Main tasks
(1) Effectively improve the bank card acceptance environment.
Continuously improve the convenience of using bank cards for the elderly, foreigners coming to China and other groups, and support the use of bank cards for payment in convenient scenarios such as public utility payments, medical care, tourist attractions, and shopping malls.
Local governments should focus on scenarios such as "food, housing, transportation, travel, shopping, entertainment, and medical care" and determine large business districts, tourist attractions, tourist resorts, night culture and tourism consumption areas, cultural museums, cultural entertainment venues, and hotels. , transportation hubs, hospitals and other key places and key merchant lists to promote the acceptance of overseas bank cards.
Banks and payment institutions should accelerate the transformation of software and hardware of overseas bank card acceptance equipment according to the list of key merchants, and make overall plans to promote the development of contactless payments.
Supervise and guide bank card clearing institutions and others to speed up interconnection with international payment platforms.
Industry authorities such as the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism should strengthen guidance and include merchants’ bank card acceptance into the scope of service quality assessment and evaluation in their respective fields.
(2) Continue to optimize the cash usage environment.
Adhere to the cash-backed positioning, urge business entities to ensure cash payments in accordance with laws and regulations, and guide business entities, especially those in transportation, shopping, catering, entertainment, tourism, accommodation and other livelihood and foreign-related fields, to publicly promise to collect cash and prepare change for payment. Meet the needs for cash use and improve cash collection and payment capabilities in daily consumption.
Banks should take the initiative to launch standardized and diversified RMB cash "coin purse" products.
Bank branches are not allowed to suspend cash business or reduce service quality at will.
We will continue to carry out ATM bank card acceptance improvements to support the elderly, foreigners coming to China and other groups to use domestic and overseas bank cards to withdraw RMB cash.
We will continue to rectify the refusal to accept RMB cash and increase penalties and publicity in accordance with the law.
Guide airports, ports and other port areas where foreigners are concentrated in entering China, as well as hotels with a large number of stays, to add foreign currency exchange institutions and facilities, increase the types of foreign currencies that can be exchanged, strengthen business training for foreign currency exchange service personnel, and improve the level of foreign currency exchange services. .
(3) Further improve the convenience of mobile payment.
Banks, payment institutions and clearing agencies must strengthen cooperation, and on the premise of controllable risks, continue to improve mobile payment services, optimize business processes, enrich product functions, expand the scope of acceptance, and fully consider the needs of the elderly, foreigners in China and other groups, Make arrangements for age-appropriate and international services to improve the friendliness and convenience of all aspects of mobile payment.
Provide good communication services for foreigners in China, optimize the domestic mobile phone number handling process for foreigners in China, and provide good international roaming services for foreigners in China.
Promote online and offline scenarios such as key tourist attractions, tourist resorts, night culture and tourism consumption clusters, characteristic commercial blocks, key tourist and leisure blocks, and important cultural and entertainment venues to better facilitate consumer payments.
Support Internet platform companies that are closely related to consumption such as "food, housing, transportation, travel, shopping, entertainment, and medical care" to optimize the payment experience for foreigners in China when purchasing products and services online and offline.
(4) Better protect consumers’ right to choose payment.
Large business districts above designated size, tourist attractions, tourist resorts, cultural museums, cultural entertainment venues, hotels, transportation hubs, hospitals and other key places must be equipped with the necessary software and hardware facilities to accept mobile payments, bank cards, cash, etc. to protect consumers Choose payment methods and tools independently.
Encourage business districts, tourist attractions, tourist resorts, cultural museums, entertainment venues, hotels, transportation hubs, hospitals, etc. below designated size to actively create conditions for comparative processing and jointly build an inclusive and diverse payment acceptance environment.
(5) Improve account service levels.
Banks and payment institutions must further optimize the account opening service process, reasonably implement account classification and hierarchical management, pay close attention to key areas, key outlets, and key business links, improve multi-language services, consultation and complaint and other supporting account opening services, and continuously improve account service levels.
Encourage banks to optimize account services and establish "green channels" at bank branches to improve the bank account service experience for the elderly, foreigners coming to China and other groups.
The National Immigration Bureau provides information verification services to the People's Bank of China to improve the efficiency of account opening by banks and payment institutions.
(6) Continue to strengthen the publicity and promotion of payment services.
Encourage the establishment of payment service consultation points in key places such as large business districts, tourist attractions, tourist resorts, cultural museums, entertainment venues, hotels, transportation hubs, hospitals, etc., and comprehensively use a variety of publicity methods and channels to carry out payment service publicity on a regular basis .
Post signs for overseas bank card swiping, ATM bank card cash withdrawals, personal domestic and foreign currency exchange, etc., and strengthen training for business personnel.
Guide airlines, travel agencies and other operating entities to carry out various and highly targeted publicity activities at overseas Chinese cultural centers, overseas tourism offices, international flights, overseas visa centers, ports and other places where foreigners coming to China gather to continuously improve Foreigners’ awareness of domestic payment services in China.
3. Safeguard measures
(1) Strengthen policy support.
Further summarize and improve the pilot experience of relevant cities, increase promotion efforts, and promote first-tier cities, provincial capitals, world heritage sites, international consumption center cities, etc. to play a leading role in optimizing payment services.
Encourage relevant payment service entities to carry out business innovation and further optimize payment products and services for the elderly, foreigners in China and other groups.
Encourage localities to set up foreign currency exchange agencies and facilities in places with high demand for payment services, and provide certain rent reductions and exemptions.
Optimizing payment services will be included in the scope of assessments such as tourism and leisure city construction, civilized city construction, national cultural and tourism consumption demonstration city construction, local social comprehensive management, and business environment evaluation.
(2) Strengthen organizational leadership.
The People's Bank of China should take the lead in improving payment convenience, strengthen overall coordination and organization and implementation, refine specific work plans and supporting measures, and clarify the timetable and road map.
Establish a supervision mechanism to conduct overt and covert visits, supervision and guidance to key areas, key banks and payment institutions, key merchants, etc., and work hard to ensure the effective implementation of all work.
The People's Bank of China and the State Administration of Financial Supervision, in accordance with their duties, urge and guide banks and payment institutions to open channels for consultation and complaints, and effectively protect the rights and interests of financial consumers.
All regions and relevant units must effectively improve their political stance, establish and improve working mechanisms, refine work tasks, provide more high-quality, efficient and convenient payment services, and effectively meet the payment service needs of the elderly, foreigners coming to China and other groups.
Office of the State Council
March 1, 2024
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