What is the background of the CPG’s establishment?
??China has a mature QR code payment ecosystem with a broad user base. Currently, the market scale of China inbound and outbound consumption is expanding steadily, driving the continuous growth of cross-border QR code payment business.
??To further optimize payment services and enhance payment convenience for foreigners, the Payment and Clearing Association of China (PCAC), in collaboration with China UnionPay, has developed the CPG under the guidance of the PBOC. The CPG serves participating institutions with a unified interface, facilitating secure and reliable cross-border QR code payment services.
What are the key milestones of the CPG?
??In early 2025, under the guidance of the PBOC, the PCAC, in collaboration with China UnionPay, initiated preparations for the development of the CPG.
??On July 30, 2025, the CPG went live, with an initial focus on China inbound business. At the same time, the business rules and technical specifications of the CPG were released to participating institutions.
??On September 26, 2025, the CPG successfully completed the migration of existing China inbound business.
Which institutions can connect to the CPG?
??Five main categories of participating institutions can connect to the CPG. Wallet Institutions: Institutions that provide account and payment services for users. Acquiring Institutions: Institutions that provide acquiring services for merchants. Domestic Clearing Institutions: Operators of clearing platforms in the Chinese mainland. Foreign Financial Infrastructures: Institutions that provide basic public services for their local payment activities. Foreign Institution Partners: Institutions that introduce foreign wallet institutions, acquiring institutions etc., and provide transaction information routing and fund settlement services for the latter’s CPG business.
How can an institution connect to the CPG?
??The CPG’s transaction flow contains overseas part and domestic part. In both parts, the CPG supports participating institutions to select a connection method based on their business needs.
??In the overseas part, participating institutions can connect to the CPG directly, or connect through a foreign financial infrastructure or a foreign institution partner.
??In the domestic part, participating institutions can connect to the CPG directly or through a domestic clearing institution.
What are the procedures for participating institutions to connect to the CPG?
??The procedures depend on the connection method selected by the institution and can generally be divided into the following categories:
??1.Direct connection to the CPG. Participating institutions coordinate with the PCAC to determine the business cooperation procedures, typically including: due diligence, agreement signing, joint debugging and testing, production verification and formal go-live.
??2.Connection to the CPG via a foreign financial infrastructure, foreign institution partner or domestic clearing institution. Participating institutions negotiate with the above institutions on their business cooperation procedures.
Organization: Payment and Clearing Association of China
Address: 6F, Building 1, No. 161 Jinze Road, Fengtai District, Beijing
Email: cpg@pcac.org.cn
Telephone: +86-10-66239216 +86-10-66239261