China slowdown sets scene for urban struggle

Meeting the middle

Reuters

Milk slump sends warning on China consumer froth

Sour times

China's Latin love more marriage of convenience

Red gold for black

China will make 2015 year of missed opportunities

Looking after number one

China needs history's biggest spring clean

The three denials

Avon exposes ugly side of doing business in China

Mud sticks

China on the horns of a volatility dilemma

The notion of motion

China's deposit guarantee is really the opposite

Un-insurance policy

China monetary policy enters difficult adolescence

The difficult age

China's rate cut shows depth of growth concern

Pain threshold

Alibaba's finance arm is one of the secrets of the Chinese e-commerce group's success. Yet investors in the listed Alibaba Group don't control a single share of the business, and can't reliably estimate its worth. That puts them at a disadvantage to a select group of insiders with a seat on both sides of the table.The business, which was recently renamed Ant Financial, houses the Alipay payment processing system and a controlling stake in the money market fund management firm Tianhong. It plans to take on Alibaba's portfolio of loans to small companies, and even start a bank.Alipay makes up much of the business. It gets a commission of around 0.18 per cent on every dollar it processes on Alibaba's Tmall and Taobao marketplaces, according to calculations based on figures in the group's public filings.That might sound small. But Alipay's significance for Alibaba is huge. The listed company retains only a small share of the value of goods sold via its websites as revenue - 2.3 per cent in

Alibaba's finance arm, Ant Financial, is mystery to most investors

Alibaba's huge finance arm is a mystery to most

Follow the money

Business Standard

John Foley: Working assumptions

Obama and Xi compete to put the 'I' in 'APEC'

You talking to me?

The new numerology

Alibaba delivers chunky growth, but at a cost

Special delivery

APEC summit shows value of calm and platitudes

Grin and bear it

CICC loses a princeling, gains investment appeal

Manna from Levin

China's Agile Property only the worst of the best

Faulty towers

Hong Kong shreds hopes for orderly disorder

John Foley