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Asia-Pacific
China (mainland)
Non-bank payment services need a PBOC Payment Business Licence; the regime was tightened in 2023.
2 licences · 1 institutions
Regulator sites
Licence types
2What the regime looks like
- 支付业务许可证Payment Business LicenceThe PBOC licence required to run non-bank payment business in the mainland; the 2023 regulation raised capital and compliance requirements.
- Permitted activities
- Non-bank payment business as authorised on the licence (network payment, card acquiring, prepaid cards — scope is written on the permit).
- Typical holders
- Mainland non-bank payment institutions.
- Application path
- Apply to the People's Bank of China. Licensed, cancelled and major-change lists are published on the PBOC site.
- Key limits
- The 2023 Non-bank Payment Institution Supervision Regulation raised capital and compliance requirements. Confirm current scope on the public roster.
- Bank card clearing institution licenceCard clearingLicence for a card network to clear bank card transactions in the mainland.Cards, issuing & clearingOfficial source
A hand-picked sample for orientation — not the full register.
- AirwallexCross-border accounts, cards and acquiring with one of the widest licence footprints in APAC.AFSLAPIEMISVFMPIMSBLicensed inAustraliaUnited KingdomHong Kong, ChinaSingaporeUnited StatesMalaysiaNew ZealandChina (mainland)
Region
A curated reference, not legal advice and not exhaustive. Confirm the scope of any licence with its regulator before relying on it.