Tencent faces backlash over WeChat Pay fees at colleges

Anger over end of long-standing exemption prompts apology from internet giant

Tencent Holdings had exempted universities from transaction fees on WeChat Pay since 2015. © Reuters

TAKASHI KAWAKAMI, Nikkei staff writer

July 5, 2023 03:54 JST

GUANGZHOU -- The barrage of criticism taken by Tencent Holdings for its plan to charge fees on WeChat Pay transactions at Chinese universities illustrates the difficulty of raising more revenue from what has become a massive service used by 1.3 billion people.