China carved out a lead in fintech services over the past decade, with big tech firms having taken the lead on the back of deregulated government policies and surging public demand for electronic payment options. As a result, the world’s second-largest economy is largely cashless, and mobile payments via private-sector platforms are ubiquitous in commerce. Meanwhile, Beijing has been rolling out a central bank digital currency that has undergone several pilot programmes throughout the country, including being used by foreign visitors during the recent Winter Olympics. And China has become a magnet for fintech investments, with the total growing from…