China's Pudong Development Bank is teaming with Shanghai-based SmartPay to provide sms-based mobile payments services to its customers.
Under terms of the deal, Pudong customers across China will be able to pay for goods and services from participating SmartPay merchants over any mobile phone or PHS network.
Once registered, users will be alerted when a pre-paid account, such as a phone top-up, is low or when a post-paid account is due. Payment can then be made via SMS.
SmartPay says it currently processes payments for IP cards, online gaming cards, utility bills and mobile phones and plans to expand the offerings to include lottery and airline tickets in future.
Greg Shen, CEO, SmartPay, says: "Partnering with Pudong Development bank on a nationwide basis will enhance SmartPay's services and allow for nationwide mobile payment capabilities."
In a separate move, Chinese online payment processor YeePay has signed Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, China Merchant Bank and China Minsheng Bank to a newly launched service that allows customers to make credit card payments via the telephone.
YeePay says unlike in other countries, most customers in China use debit cards that are protected by a password, so they can't just read the number over the phone. The vendor's new system integrates a bank's existing interactive voice response (IVR) telephone banking system to allow users to securely enter their authentication information.