Pacific Epoch report -- "China added 5.33 million new broadband Internet users from January to May 2005, according to statistics released by Ministry of Information Industry (MII) on Tuesday. At the end of May, China had 30.18 million broadband Internet users. From January to May, revenues from China's telecommunications industry totaled 232.81 billion Yuan, up 10.9 percent year on year. China gained 44.78 million telephone users from January to May to reach 692 million total users. The number of fixed line users increased by 21 million to reach 330 million users and the number of mobile phone users increased by 23.73 million to reach 360 million users. From January to May, 114.78 billion SMS messages were sent in China, up 36.9 percent from the same period in 2004."
Alternative Payment Methods (APMs) – comprising digital wallets, instant payments, and QR payment systems – are experiencing explosive growth that's reshaping the global financial services marketplace. According to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research , the combined global transaction value for APMs is projected to reach $142 trillion by 2030. What's particularly fascinating is the underlying driver behind this trend: a growing desire for financial sovereignty, with nations developing domestic payment ecosystems rather than remaining dependent on international financial networks. Payment Ecosystem Market Development In 2024, approximately 45 percent of the global population used digital wallets – a remarkable adoption rate for a technology that barely existed a decade ago. China leads this transition, with 95 percent of its population using WeChat's payment functionality. WeChat exemplifies the "super app" phenomenon, where payment capabilities are in...