The 135^th Canton Fair is about to open, attracting a large number of overseas exhibitors and buyers to Guangzhou. Ye Mao, deputy director of the Business Management Department of the Guangdong Branch of the People's Bank of China, stated that the People's Bank of China, as the leading unit, has coordinated with local financial management, commerce, tourism, transportation, and other departments to identify 17 key areas with significant international exposure in Guangzhou. These areas include large shopping districts, tourist attractions, resorts, cultural and museum venues, entertainment venues, hotel accommodations, and transportation hubs, involving 14,000 key merchants. Point of sale (POS) terminals in these areas have been upgraded to accept mainstream overseas bank cards.

As of April 8^th, the acceptance rate of overseas bank cards at key merchants in Guangzhou has reached nearly 80%. In March, the number of transactions made with overseas bank cards in Guangzhou reached 126,000, with a total amount of 170 million yuan. "We are confident that the acceptance rate of overseas bank cards in key areas will reach 90% before the Canton Fair," Ye Mao said.

Regarding foreign currency exchange and cash usage, the Guangdong Branch of the People's Bank of China has focused on entry ports and organized banks to reasonably increase the RMB cash exchange facilities. As of the end of March, there were 5,615 ATMs in Guangzhou, and the number of ATMs supporting cash withdrawals with overseas bank cards reached 5,526, with a coverage rate of 98%. There are also 43 foreign currency exchange points and 31 self-service exchange machines. Additionally, more than 10 million yuan changes have been distributed to business operators such as taxi drivers.

Currently, the penetration rate of mobile payments in China has reached 86%. Ye Mao suggested that if international guests are willing to try mobile payments, they can do so through two methods: "binding overseas bank cards to China's mobile payment system" and "using overseas e-wallets for transactions within China"."Binding overseas bank cards to China's mobile payment system" means linking overseas bank cards to Alipay or WeChat for mobile payments. However, this leads to issues like identity verification and payment limits. In response, the Guangdong Branch of the People's Bank of China has introduced a series of targeted solutions. For example, transactions below a certain amount are exempt from collecting identity information; the payment limit for mobile payments by inbound passengers has been increased to $5,000 per transaction and $50,000 per year.

"Using overseas e-wallets for transactions within China" means that foreigners can directly use overseas electronic wallets to pay Chinese merchants. Currently, WeChat Pay Hong Kong can be linked to a "Yang Cheng Tong card" for transportation by Hong Kong and Macao compatriots. Electronic wallets from 13 countries and regions, including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Republic of Korea, and Mongolia, can also be used for payments within China.

As of the end of March, 457,000 merchants in Guangzhoucanaccept "binding overseas bank cards to China's mobile payment system" and "using overseas e-wallets for transactions within China".These merchants have served over 818,000 foreigners, facilitating a total of 3.125 million transactions, with a combined value of 420 million yuan.

Source :Yangcheng Evening News

让老外支付无忧！广州重点商户境外银行卡受理覆盖率接近80%

第135届广交会即将开幕，将有大批境外参展商和采购商齐聚广州。中国人民银行广东省分行营业管理部副主任叶茂表示，人民银行作为牵头单位，联动地方金融管理、商务、文旅、交通等部门，在广州市内圈定17个涉外特色突出的重点区域，包括大型商圈、旅游景区、度假区、文博场所、文娱场所、酒店住宿、交通枢纽等，涉及重点商户1.4万家，在这些区域进行刷卡机具改造，以受理境外主流银行卡。

截至4月8日，广州市重点商户境外银行卡受理覆盖率已接近80%。3月，广州市境外银行卡交易笔数12.6万笔，金额1.7亿元。“我们有信心，在广交会举办前，重点区域境外银行卡受理覆盖率达到90%。”叶茂说道。

在外币兑换和现金使用方面，人民银行广东省分行以入境口岸为重点，组织银行合理增设人民币现金兑换服务设施，截至3月末，广州市ATM机具5615台，支持境外银行卡取现已达5526台，覆盖率达98%；外币兑换点43个、自助兑换机具31台；同时，向出租车等经营主体发放人民币现金“零钱包”超3万个，金额超1000万元。

目前，移动支付在我国的普及率达到86%。叶茂建议，如果外国朋友愿意尝试移动支付，可以通过“外卡内绑”和“外包内用”两种方式使用。“外卡内绑”，就是将境外银行卡绑到支付宝或者微信上，使用移动支付，但会涉及身份验证及支付限额等问题。对此，人民银行广东省分行推出系列针对性解决措施。例如，支持一定金额以下的交易免于采集身份信息；将入境人员移动支付限额提升至单笔5000美元、年累计5万美元。

“外包内用”是指入境人员直接使用境外电子钱包向境内商户支付。目前支持港澳同胞使用微信香港钱包绑定“羊城通”乘车，新加坡、马来西亚、泰国、韩国、蒙古等13个国家和地区的电子钱包也可以直接在境内支付。

截至3月末，广州市可受理“外包内用”“外卡内绑”的商户45.7万户，累计服务入境人员超81.8万人次，累计发生交易312.5万笔，金额4.2亿元。

文｜记者 黄颖琳
图｜新华社
译｜邹晓华