Part 8/11:

Even as the COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread economic disruptions, companies outside traditional banking persisted in offering financing. In China, e-commerce giants like Alibaba and JD.com rolled out interest-free credit programs for street vendors and merchants, totaling billions of renminbi. Alibaba announced a 70 billion RMB interest-free loan initiative, while JD launched a "Spark Plan," offering up to 100,000 RMB in interest-free credit per merchant.