China's central bank said Friday it will require non-bank payment institutions, with Ant Group's Alipay as the leading player, to set up bank accounts to deal with fund product transactions for customers.
In a set of new rules to take effect from March 1, non-bank payment institutions will also be required to set up separate banking accounts for cross-border yuan payments and foreign currency exchanges, according to a statement on the website of the People's Bank of China (PBOC).
(Reporting by Zhang Yan, Cheng Leng, and Ryan Woo)
