The reform of consumer protection in mobile payment services in China: Legislation, regulation, and dispute resolution

Abstract

In China, mobile payment services, based on a rapid development of financial technology, have been playing an essential role in Chinese residents’ daily life, creating a cashless society. Unlike many advanced countries having a clear legal definition of financial consumers and incorporating consumers of mobile payment services into financial consumers, China, as one of the largest markets for mobile payment services, has not had a clear legal definition of financial consumers with no clarity regarding whether consumers of mobile payment services belong to financial consumers. This article not only provides a legal analysis of consumers of mobile payment services in China, but also outrightly explores the prospective reform of financial consumer protection with reference to other countries’ successful experience and standards. By the analysis, this article attempts to find out solution for the Chinese financial consumer protection scheme and argues that the Chinese financial consumer protection scheme has to be well designed to maintain a balance between consumers and mobile payment giants.