Web3.0 Can Be Said to Be a Hot Topic for Domestic Payment Institutions in the Past Two Years

Web3.0 can be said to be a hot topic for domestic payment institutions in the past two years, from NFT, Metaverse to cryptocurrency, especially stablecoin-related content.

As the saying goes, "hot topics come in waves". In the past two years, Web3.0 has been a hot topic among domestic payment institutions, starting with NFT, Metaverse, and cryptocurrency, especially stablecoin-related content.

Following the domestic ban on cryptocurrency-related industries in 2021, cryptocurrency seemed to have disappeared from the vision of domestic payment institutions. However, with the increasing demand for stablecoins in global trade, international and domestic payment giants have renewed their focus on stablecoin payments.

So which domestic licensed payment institutions have "entered" stablecoins, and what issues are worth paying attention to?

1. Prohibition

In September 2021, the People's Bank of China, the Cyberspace Administration of China, the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, the State Administration for Market Regulation, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, along with other ten ministries and commissions, jointly issued the "Notice on Further Preventing and Dealing with the Risks of Virtual Currency Trading Speculation".

The notice clearly stated that virtual currency-related business activities are illegal financial activities, and that overseas virtual currency exchanges providing services to residents in my country through the Internet are also illegal financial activities.

The joint release by so many departments signifies that almost all virtual currency-related market activities are prohibited. Up to now, there are no updated laws and regulations to lift the ban or provide further explanation. This makes it impossible for any virtual currency businesses to operate in mainland China or serve residents of the country.

Prior to this, major companies had also expressed their stances.

In 2018, Tencent stated that it has always adhered to the principle of resolutely not providing any related services for illegal financial activities such as "issuance of ICO tokens at home and abroad, virtual currency transactions", including not providing related payment channels, advertising services, or any other businesses.

Moreover, Ma Huateng made it clear during the two sessions that year that Tencent would not issue virtual currency, as blockchain technology is still in its early stages of development and needs to establish an effective application model, and once the currency is issued, it will cause a series of regulatory issues. But Tencent has never stopped exploring blockchain technology and its applications.

In June 2021, Alipay also issued a statement prohibiting the use of the company's services for virtual currency transactions such as Bitcoin, while continuing to carry out comprehensive inspections and crackdowns on virtual currency transactions.

However, with the passage of time, the development of global stablecoin payments has exceeded many people's expectations, and the integration of Web2.0 payments (traditional payments) and Web3.0 payments has become an industry hotspot.

2. Enter the Game

Due to the ban in mainland China, many companies that want to get involved in cryptocurrency have reached a consensus: they should not conduct business in mainland China, serve mainland Chinese residents, or even touch any RMB-related business. At present, there are clear signs that the affiliated companies of licensed payment institutions which have entered cryptocurrency-related businesses overseas include JD.com (Online Banking), Ant Group (Alipay), LianLian, YeePay, etc.

In July 2024, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority announced the first batch of "Stablecoin Issuer Sandbox", including five institutions such as JD CoinChain Technology (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. Among them, JD's affiliated companies applied for and obtained permission from the Hong Kong government to participate in the research and development of stablecoins. Its official website shows that JD's stablecoin is about to be launched.

JD's stablecoin is pegged to the Hong Kong dollar (HKD) at a 1:1 ratio. It is based on a public blockchain and aims to become one of the leading digital currencies for enterprises and individuals seeking efficient, economical, and secure payment solutions.

Shortly after, AirstarBank, a subsidiary of Xiaomi (whose payment institution is Jifu Ruitong), announced its cooperation with JD Coin Chain to explore cross-border payment solutions for enterprises based on stablecoins. Therefore, Xiaomi is also openly involved in stablecoin payments.

In addition, in August 2024, Ant International launched a pilot project of "DBS Treasury Tokens" in cooperation with DBS Bank to improve treasury and liquidity management. The pilot runs on its permissioned blockchain, facilitating Ant International's multi-currency treasury and liquidity management in various markets.

In December 2024, LianLian Digital's wholly-owned subsidiary DFX Labs obtained the Hong Kong VATP virtual asset trading platform license.

There is another Web3.0 enterprise with the "gene" of Yibao, which has also received high attention recently, and that is Kun. In February 20