Xiaomi expects to triple its revenues from mobile services such as games and a payment application to nearly USD 1 billion this year, according to CEO Lei Jun. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal coinciding with the launch of Xiaomi’s fitness band, Mi Band, Lei said the company was looking to Chinese internet giant Alibaba and mobile services firm Tencent Holdings as future competitors. “The ways that Tencent and Alibaba make money today are the ways that Xiaomi will make money in the future,” he said. Last year the company made less than USD 300 million in revenue from services, said Lei, but total revenues this year are expected to come it at around USD 16 billion, with mobile services accounting for around 6 percent of that figure.
Xiaomi’s intention to expand outside China this year means the company is also making efforts to localise data storage for international users, amid growing concerns about data security. “If we want to go global, we must respect every country’s regulations and laws,” said Lei.
