This has been in the works for some time now, showing China’s dedication to moving faster than most other countries when it comes to CBDCs.
Also known as DC/EP, an acronym that stands for digital currency/electronic payment, the digital yuan is a part of a longstanding initiative by the Chinese government since 2014 — when it established a digital currency research institute — to use cryptocurrency-inspired technology to modernize payments, bypass international trade networks and exert geopolitical strength.
The digital wallets processed RMB 1.1 billion ($162 million) across 3.1 million digital yuan transactions between April and August when the pilots launched and ended, Fan said, making it the most widely used central bank digital currency (CBDC) in a commercial setting.