Data on customer purchases shaping lenders' strategies

Commercial banks in China are increasingly turning to data collected via mobile payment technology to assess future customer needs, according to the findings of a new study.

Dong Ximiao, executive director of the research institute at Evergrowing Bank Co Ltd, based in Yantai, Shandong province, said data being generated by mobile payments are adding to lenders' understanding of their customers' demands in key areas including transactions and wealth management products.

The data are also offering a way for banks to fight back against a rise in the use of third-party payment services, said Dong.

The findings mirror other recent findings which suggest banks need to do more to improve their existing clients offerings, and to attract more customers.

A research note from Guosen Securities Co, for instance, has said that using card payment data has become a vital resource for commercial banks, as they look to advise clients on their financial situations and capital flow, as well as on product development.

China Financial Certification Authority said in a report that more than 30 percent of mobile payments were made through third-party payment services in China during the fourth quarter of 2015, and that card services are expected to grow as banks introduce more mobile payment channels.

China UnionPay, the country's only domestic bank card organization, said recently that more than 20 banks had introduced near-field-communication payment services, which enable cardholders to pay by waving their mobiles or other smart devices in front of point-of-sale terminals.

UnionPay claims the growing popularity of mobile payments is simply down to the less time it takes to complete a transaction, for merchants and consumers.

Mobile payment services also reduce lenders' operational costs, it said.

China Merchants Bank Co Ltd, headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, said UnionPay has introduced QuickPass services to more than 10 million users, "and the number has been increasing quickly".