Standard Chartered China has announced its entry into China’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) landscape by offering new business-to-business (B2B) trade services linked to China’s e-CNY. These services encompass minting and redemptions facilitated through the City Bank Clearing Service, marking a significant move for Standard Chartered as one of the first foreign banks to engage in China’s advanced CBDC project.
The development follows the launch of a B2B digital renminbi platform by central bank official Li Xin, aiming to enhance cross-border functionalities, including order information matching and foreign exchange compliance. Standard Chartered’s involvement underscores the growing international participation in China’s CBDC initiatives, positioning the country’s efforts as among the most advanced in the global central bank digital currency landscape.
At the same event where Standard Chartered made its announcement, Wu Gang, the vice president of the central bank branch in Zhejiang province, introduced an initiative to boost the utilization of the CBDC among small-to-medium-sized enterprises. This aligns with broader efforts to integrate digital currencies into various sectors of the economy.
Earlier this year, DBS Singapore initiated a pilot program to test the exchange of e-CNY between merchants and clients on its network, showcasing the growing interest and experimentation with CBDCs by financial institutions beyond China.
President Xi Jinping’s previous endorsement of a tokenized currency as a challenger to the US dollar in international trade has gained momentum. The concept of an alternative trade currency was also discussed among the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa in August, reflecting a broader trend of exploring alternatives to traditional currencies.
While the CBDC project in China has seen significant progress, concerns have been raised about potential censorship implications. As of the end of June, the People’s Bank of China had conducted pilots for its CBDC in 26 cities, contributing to a substantial volume of transactions totaling $249.3 billion. In October, the foreign exchange regulator hinted at the possibility of programmable money to enhance the implementation of monetary policy, potentially introducing features like expiry dates or spending limitations. The evolving landscape of CBDCs in China and their increasing integration into global financial services will continue to shape the future of digital currencies on a broader scale.
