Shanghai SmartPay Jieyin, in partnership with China Unicom, China Unionpay and Huishang Bank, has launched its mobile wallet service for paying utility bills in Anhui Province. This service allows users to pay bills any time, any where, without having to go to banks or toll stations. SmartPay says" 'all they have to do is to send a SMS and bills are paid, saving time and cost.' READ MORE »

SmartPay has announced the beta launch of www.172.com, a convenient payments portal that allows users to pay their phone bills, utility bills, buy lottery tickets, purchase air tickets and make other purchases, primarily using their mobile phones or fixed-line telephones.

China Unicom and SmartPay have announced the launch of "China Unicom Mobile Wallet" in Guangdong Province. Guangdong Province is the largest province in China by number of mobile users and total mobile revenues.

Philip Lin writes for Pacific Epoch about the recent Smartpay announcement that it would be working with China Minsheng Bank to enable the banks' customers to pay for all sorts of goods and services with SmartPay technology using cellular SMS. Lin concludes "one thing seems likely - the "network effects" in this model will probably drive a "winner takes all" ending. And the winner will be a very valuable company, easily more valuable than any public tech company in China."

SmartPay Jieyin Ltd has announced a China mobile payments partnership with China Minsheng Banking Corp., Ltd.

SmartPay along with partners China Unicom Guangdong and Guangdong Kingold Telecommunications have announced the launch of ''Lottery in your Palm'', a jointly developed mobile lottery service for consumers which allows for purchase, payment, prize award announcements, and award information.

SmartPay and Pudong Development Bank have announced a partnership that will enable Pudong Development Bank customers throughout China to utilize SmartPay's mobile payment services.

SmartPay Jieyin Ltd., a provider of payment services in China, has announced the
completion of a strategic round of equity financing with RRE Ventures.

Commenting on the investment at a demonstration of SmartPay's services in Beijing, Greg Shen, SmartPay's CEO, said, ''I am extremely pleased that RRE has decided to invest in SmartPay as we continue to rapidly deploy our mobile payment services in China and build on our leadership position. RRE's expertise in the wireless and payments space is truly unique, and its network of connections should prove valuable in this rapid stage of SmartPay's evolution.

Jim Robinson IV, RRE Ventures founder and general partner, added, "We are excited about SmartPay and the prospects for building an innovative payments business in China. SmartPay has built up an early leadership position based upon its close interaction with Chinese banks and its unique mobile payment services. This provides a strong platform for future growth, and an opportunity to leverage numerous synergies with RRE's network of relationships and portfolio companies." Robinson will join SmartPay's Board of Directors effective immediately.