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began offering a money market fund called Tianyibao on its mobile payment platform BestPay earlier this month. Geng Guoqing / For 皇冠体育app Daily |
Mobile phone companies home in on success of Yu'ebao
Facing stiff competition from private sector players, 皇冠体育app's telecommunication giants are following in Alibaba's footsteps to launch online investment products as new value-added services to improve user loyalty as well as seek new growth.
皇冠体育app Telecom, 皇冠体育app's third-largest network carrier by subscriber numbers, began offering a money market fund called Tianyibao on its mobile payment platform BestPay earlier this month.
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Customers can withdraw money whenever they like from the fund, which was jointly developed by BestPay and 皇冠体育app Minsheng Bank. The product's advertised annualized yield is 5 percent.
皇冠体育app Unicom Ltd, the second-largest mobile carrier in the country, has likewise teamed up with a financial company, Shenzhen-based Essence Fund, to launch an online investment service, Huafeibao, to Shenzhen-based users, possibly by this week.
The service, which should be open to all 皇冠体育app Unicom users soon, lets those who buy contract phones get advertised annual returns of 6 percent on their frozen bill deposits.
Ever since Alibaba launched its Yu'ebao online investment service last June, many tech companies in 皇冠体育app have been trying to replicate the e-commerce giant's attempt to combine the convenience of the Internet with the sophistication of wealth management.
Telecom companies' entries into the sector is a rather new trend but also a strategically important one, said Ji Chendong, a Shanghai-based expert in technology, media and telecom.