• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechInternet of Things

Samsung Pay Follows Apple Pay To China

By
Hilary Brueck
Hilary Brueck
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Hilary Brueck
Hilary Brueck
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 29, 2016, 8:40 AM ET
Samsung announces new high-end Smartphone
The payment system Samsung Pay is demonstrated on a smartphone produced by the South Korean manufacturer, in London, UK, 29 July 2015. Photo by: Teresa Dapp/picture-alliance/dpa/AP ImagesPhotograph by Teresa Dapp — picture-alliance/dpa/AP

Hundreds of millions of Chinese consumers who already pay for goods using their phones instead of pulling out their wallets now have one more option: Samsung Pay.

The South Korean electronics company launched its mobile wallet in China on Tuesday. The move rivals a similar one by Apple Pay, which launched in the world’s most populous country just last month.

Samsung and Apple are both entering an already crowded field of Chinese mobile payment apps. Alipay, operated by Alibaba spinoff Ant Financial already has 400 million users in the country, while Tencent covers about 19% of the mobile payment market in China with its Tenpay offering.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Samsung is partnering with state-owned China Union Pay to launch its service, the same payment processing system Apple Pay uses there. Samsung’s system works almost identically to Apple Pay: with the tap of a fingerprint on the phone.

But Samsung does have one big advantage over Apple when it comes to mobile payments: Samsung Pay can be used at almost all credit card terminals, because it doesn’t require special registers equipped with near field communication (NFC) technology.

Still, Samsung has fewer phones in China with just a 7% market share compared to Apple’s 15%, BBC News reports. Samsung Pay is available for four of the latest Samsung models in China: the Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, S6 Edge+ and Galaxy Note 5.

Are mobile payment apps here to stay?

Another other big mobile wallet competitor, Google’s Android Pay, might have a tougher time entering the Chinese market than Samsung and Apple. Google’s search engine was blocked in the country six years, after the tech giant refused to comply with China’s tough censorship laws.

About the Author
By Hilary Brueck
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Success
In 2026, many employers are ditching merit-based pay bumps in favor of ‘peanut butter raises’
By Emma BurleighFebruary 2, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Trump may have shot himself in the foot at the Fed, as Powell could stay on while Miran resigns from White House post
By Eleanor PringleFebruary 4, 2026
10 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Cybersecurity
Top AI leaders are begging people not to use Moltbook, a social media platform for AI agents: It’s a ‘disaster waiting to happen’
By Eva RoytburgFebruary 2, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Investing
Tech stocks go into free fall as it dawns on traders that AI has the ability to cut revenues across the board
By Jim EdwardsFebruary 4, 2026
15 hours ago
placeholder alt text
North America
Gates Foundation doubles down on foreign aid as U.S. government largely withdraws
By Thalia Beaty and The Associated PressFebruary 3, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Politics
Meet the Palm Beach billionaire who paid $2 million for a private White House visit with Trump
By Tristan BoveFebruary 3, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Latest in Tech

A man in a suit wearing glasses.
Big TechAlphabet
Alphabet plans to double capex spending to a possible $185 billion—but it’s keeping CEO Sundar Pichai up at night
By Amanda GerutFebruary 4, 2026
9 minutes ago
electricity
EnvironmentElectricity
Over a million people are losing power during a freezing snowstorm while data centers nearby guzzle electricity
By Nikki Luke, Conor Harrison and The ConversationFebruary 4, 2026
4 hours ago
Phone displaying quantum computing company IonQ's logo.
Big Techquantum computing
IonQ, the biggest quantum computing company on the stock market, disputes short-seller claims it failed to disclose holes in its revenue
By Jeremy Kahn and Jim EdwardsFebruary 4, 2026
5 hours ago
altman
Startups & VentureMarkets
Scott Galloway predicts OpenAI could pull its IPO amid AI ‘vibe shift’ as investors ‘gag’ on Trump proximity, questionable revenue
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 4, 2026
5 hours ago
AILayoffs
Pinterest cracks down on dissent, fires engineers for an internal layoff tool as AI shake-ups keep employees on edge and in line
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezFebruary 4, 2026
5 hours ago
McNuggets
Travel & LeisureMcDonald's
McDonald’s wants you to eat caviar McNuggets this Valentine’s Day
By Dee-Ann Durbin and The Associated PressFebruary 4, 2026
5 hours ago