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‘Super app’ aimed at UK students uses servers owned by Chinese firm on US blacklist

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‘Super app’ aimed at UK students uses servers owned by Chinese firm on US blacklist

ZyMix platform has contract with Tencent, which US alleges has links to People’s Liberation Army

A new messaging and payment “super app” marketed at British students uses servers owned by a Chinese company that has been put on a US military blacklist for its alleged affiliation to the People’s Liberation Army.

ZyMix, which is being pushed on university campuses as the UK’s first super app designed “for gen Z”, combining chat, payments and community features, has a contract with a German-based subsidiary of Tencent Holdings, a Chinese conglomerate in Shenzhen.

Tencent Holdings was added in January 2026 to the US Department of Defense’s (DoD) list of Chinese military companies, which is formally known as the section 1260H list.

The citation on the DoD list says that the company, which is a gaming and social media conglomerate, is indirectly affiliated to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.

The blacklist is part of a US attempt to counteract what it regards as Beijing’s efforts to increase its military power by using technology from Chinese firms, universities and research programmes.

The DoD is prohibited from entering into, renewing or extending contracts for goods, services or technology with any entity on the list although wider sanctions are not automatic.

A Tencent spokesperson said: “Tencent’s inclusion on this list is clearly a mistake. We are not a military company or supplier. Unlike sanctions or export controls, this listing has no impact on our business.



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