Another move to trim financial risk in China -- e-payment platforms are the latest to have their adventurous financial operations reined in. From the end of this year, they will no longer be allowed to invest customer provisions, instead, their money will fall under the control of the country's central bank. Sun Tianyuan has the report.

China's central bank -- or the People's Bank of China -- is pushing the pedal to the metal on easing financial risk. It's now looking to squeeze third party online payment firms, by increasing the provision deposit ratio from 50 percent to a hundred. In other words, all the provisions these platforms acquire from their customers will eventually be controlled by the central bank. To put that into context, overall deposits of non-financial institutions in China are currently worth about half a trillion yuan, or 75 billion US dollars. China's e-payment services market has grown rapidly in recent years. Alibaba and Tencent's affiliated finance companies -- Alipay and Tenpay -- are the industry's major players by a long way. It's something which has brought simplicity and convenience to our everyday lives -- but what happens with our money behind the scenes has been a cause for concern.

DONG XIMIAO RENMIN UNIVERSITY OF CHINA "When most consumers sign up for online payment services, they agree that the payment institution can use their provisions to make money. Consumers don't get a single penny, the profits all go into the pocket of the payment institutions."

However, the central bank's latest move will eventually end this free ride. When we pay for products or services using an e-payment platform, there is a 10- to 15-day delay in the transaction. That window allows the platform to reinvest our payment to make money.

DONG XIMIAO RENMIN UNIVERSITY OF CHINA "I believe the move aims to lead the payment institutions back to their origin, which is to provide customers with a solid payment service, not leeching on the deposit for interest, or even embezzling provisions for investment and financing."

From 20 percent last year, to 50 this, the PBOC is tightening regulations to trim the risk potential in the ever-expanding e-payment market. And, by the end of the year, the central bank will have pushed the throttle all the way down to clear the dead zone for good.