Source：CardLine Asia Pacific 2006-10-18

Chinese electronic payments company 99Bill Corp. announced Monday an agreement with online content provider Sohu.com that will allow Sohu customers to use 99Bill's payment service. The Sohu-99Bill joint account enables account holders to purchase Sohu products and services using 99Bill's payment service. A spokesperson for 99Bill tells CardLine Asia-Pacific that this includes online games, e-mail accounts and other entertainment products.

Account holders also can make purchases and online payments with 99Bill service providers and merchants and are entitled to 99Bill member benefits, including merchant discounts, digital coupons and membership reward programs. Beijing-based Sohu.com, Inc. offers a variety of online content, including news, discussion boards, alumni groups, e-mail, real estate listings, ring-tone downloads and maps, to its 120 million users. Sohu also operates China's largest online gaming site.

In a statement, Sohu says the lack of online payment was one of the "critical bottlenecks" hindering its electronic business development. According to Beijing-based research firm Analysys International, Sohu is China's second-largest Internet advertising vendor, after Sina.com, with 16% of a market that Analysys says will reach 4.4 billion yuan (US$56 billion) this year. Beijing-based 99Bill Corp. says it is the leading third-party payment service provider in China, with 8 million registered accounts.