Tencent is the Chinese technology company that owns WeChat and ranks among the world's largest by market capitalization.
Tencent operates WeChat, known as Weixin in mainland China, along with major businesses in online games, digital payments, advertising, cloud services, and music. WeChat combines messaging, social networking, payments, and many other services in one widely used platform.
Tencent’s market value has been shaped by both its large domestic user base and its international gaming investments. The company owns or has invested in numerous game studios and publishers, making it a major force in the global games industry.
Tencent is often confused with Alibaba, another enormous Chinese technology company. Alibaba is especially associated with e-commerce and cloud computing, while Tencent is particularly associated with social communication, gaming, and WeChat.