Katya from Russia got her first bank card in China at the Bank of Beijing’s Guang’an Sub-branch.

“I came here today to exchange some Renminbi, and I decided to ask if I could apply for a bank card. To my surprise, they issued one to me, with just my passport required. This is so convenient!” said Katya. She came to China to take care of her daughter, who is studying in Beijing. Here, Katya often needs to pay for small daily expenses. Katya said, “Although cash is accepted for things like buying food or taking metro, I feel envy of those Chinese around me who use mobile payment, and I am eager to get a Chinese bank card too.”

Compared to short-term visitors to China, foreigners living in China for an extended period, like Katya, have a greater demand for mobile payment options, like Weixin Pay. According to Xiao Yang, Head of the Bank of Beijing’s Guang’an Sub-branch, for security reasons, foreign nationals were previously asked to provide additional identification documents when opening a debit card account.

Since this year, the regulation has changed. On March 7, the General Office of the State Council officially released the Opinions on Further Optimizing Payment Services to Facilitate Payments, providing support and guidance to banking institutions and other payment service providers in their efforts to offer foreign visitors to China more efficient, convenient and higher-quality payment services. On March 26, the General Office of the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality issued the Implementation Plan of Beijing Municipality for Further Optimizing Payment Services and Enhancing Payment Convenience, outlining three-stage working goals and 22 major tasks in five areas to improve payment services in Beijing.

Following the principle of “payment for the people”, the Bank of Beijing has introduced a series of facilitation measures, including simplifying account-opening documents for foreigners. After verifying clients’ genuine reasons of opening bank accounts and ensuring compliance with anti-money laundering regulations, the Bank of Beijing streamlines the account-opening procedures for foreigners, guaranteeing both security and convenience. Additionally, to enhance customer experience, the bank has opened foreign-related service windows and staffed bank lobby managers fluent in English to offer business consultation services. The Chinese and English versions of the Guide to Payment Services in China and the English version of the Comprehensive Application Form of Personal Business, prominently displayed in lobbies, have facilitated foreigners’ access to services and improved service quality for account-related and e-CNY businesses.

“In addition to simplifying account-opening documents, we have also upgraded ATMs under the deployment of Bank of Beijing Head Office. These upgraded ATMs now accept VISA and MasterCard bank cards issued by foreign banks, making cash withdrawals easier for foreign nationals.” Xiao Yang pointed to the VISA logo displayed on an ATM and said, “We have also prepared Cash Envelopes for foreign customers in case they need small change.”

For large supermarkets, catering merchants, public transportation and other business entities where cash is often used near the bank’s branches, as well as key industry forms, merchants, and venues frequently visited by foreigners, the Bank of Beijing offers customized cash services to meet merchants’ demands, in addition to Cash Envelopes. At the same time, the bank has accelerated the deployment of POS terminals that accept foreign cards, aiming to create a convenient payment environment through hardware and service upgrades. These thoughtful financial services have won unanimous praise from market entities.

According to the person working with the Bank of Beijing, the bank will actively respond to the call for optimizing payment services and enhancing payment convenience, thereby creating a high-quality, convenient and supportive payment environment to contribute to a better financial business environment.    

(Edited based on relevant information from Beijing Daily)