That percentage is up from 49% cent in 2014, according to a study issued by Alipay, the mobile payment unit of ecommerce services provider Alibaba, mobileworldlive.com reports. Some speculate that, given the current growth rate, smartphones are likely to replace wallets for many people. More than 100 million people in 124 cities across 19 provinces use Alipay, the company said. Its figures show 40 types of public services and more than 4,000 business applications available through its platform.
Alipay, the largest third-party payment service provider in China, said that in addition to paying medical bills and traffic tickets, people are also using Alipay’s services to inquire about their provident fund balances and social security payments, book appointments at marriage registration offices and renew exit-entry permits for Hong Kong and Macao.
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