WeChat payments services enters US market

Leading internet company Tencent Holdings is aggressively trying to build up its US merchant network as it seeks to export its popular WeChat payment service via a recent tie-up with a major local partner. According to Caixin, WeChat teamed up with Silicon Valley-based mobile payment startup Citcon in February, marking a big advance as it tries to enter the world’s largest economy. The company last week announced its official entry to the market, saying its users there can now pay at certain stores by using its in-app electronic payment service. WeChat has already secured a number of merchant partners, including the Baymont Inn & Suites Anaheim hotel close to the southern California’s Disneyland Resort; Japanese restaurant Hana Zen in San Francisco; the TBaar teahouse in New York City; and a ski training camp in Sandy, Oregon. The company is seeking additional partners, and will initially target Chinese travelers to the US, a spokeswoman said.