WeChat will launch a new consumer credit product called Fen Qi,Discuss Section according to a September 4 report by Chinese news outlet Leishe Caijing. WeChat is currently testing the product on a small-scale basis and the official launch date is uncertain, sources familiar with the matter told Leishe Caijing. The new product allows users to make partial payments for the money they spend through WeChat Pay in a billing cycle. The amount of each partial payment is based on users’ installment plans, which can be one, three, six, or twelve months, according to the report. The service will be jointly supported by WeChat and its affiliated entities, covering institutions responsible for customer acquisition, risk assessment, and loans and finance. WeChat has so far been cautious in the consumer finance business sector, the report said. Its first self-operated consumer finance product named Fen Fu, which began testing in early 2020, is still not open to the general public. [Leishe Caijing, in Chinese]
