EDITOR NOTE: Central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs for short, by no means resemble private cryptocurrencies. While most cryptocurrencies were developed as an alternative to the fiat system, CBDCs are fiat currencies reborn, amplified, upgraded, and enhanced--a Fiat 2.0, or fiat on digital steroids. China may showcase the sheer power of its CBDC--the Digital Yuan--in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Those attending the Olympics, numbering in the tens of thousands, will likely take their digital yuan balances home, back to their homeland, “internationalizing” and spreading the digital yuan, like a virus. Once China's digital yuan is internationalized--the Olympics being the first volley, and mostly for show--then the real work begins. Similar to China’s agenda, all nations who’ve developed their own sovereign CBDC will see paper cash eliminated. All money will be digitized. And once this happens, we will have ushered in a new world of 100% digital transactions, 100% digital monetary surveillance, and 100% control over all citizens who use digital currency.
BOAO, China — China is trying to make it possible for foreign athletes and visitors to use its digital currency during the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022, a top central bank official said on Sunday.
It could be the first test for China’s digital currency with international users.
Li Bo, deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), also said the aim of the digital yuan or e-CNY (electronic Chinese yuan) is not to replace the U.S. dollar’s dominance on the international stage.
For the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics, we were trying to make e-CNY available not only to domestic users, but also to international athletes and like visitors.
-Li Bo DEPUTY GOVERNOR, PEOPLE’S BANK OF CHINA
The PBOC began researching the digital yuan in 2014 and has recently launched a number of pilot projects around China which allow residents of cities including Shenzhen and Beijing to test the currency with retailers. The e-CNY is aimed at replacing cash and coins in circulation and boosting cashless payments in China. It is not a cryptocurrency and not designed like bitcoin.
“For the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics, we were trying to make e-CNY available not only to domestic users, but also to international athletes and like visitors,” Li said during a panel moderated by CNBC at the Boao Forum for Asia on the island of Hainan.
Li said the Chinese central bank will include “more scenarios and more cities” to test the digital yuan.
The deputy governor said there is no timeline yet for a nationwide rollout of the digital yuan but that the PBOC needs to increase the scope of its pilot projects and “strengthen” the technology infrastructure underpinning the digital currency.
Various commentators have suggested that China’s digital yuan could be a way to internationalize the renminbi and also challenge the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency. Much of international commerce happens in U.S. dollars.
But Li reiterated that the PBOC is focused on the domestic use of the digital currency.
“For the internationalization of renminbi, we have said many times that it’s a natural process and our goal is not to replace (the) U.S. dollar or any other international currency,” Li said. “I think our goal is to allow the market to choose and to facilitate international trade and investment.”
However, the PBOC is working with other central banks — including those from Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong — to explore the use of the digital yuan in cross-border trade.
“Our focus again is that we want to establish a very solid domestic e-CNY first, and build up a healthy ecosystem. At the same time, working with our international partners. Hopefully, in the long term, we have a cross border solution as well,” Li said.
Original post from CNBC
Energy officials are downplaying it. Analysts say “it’s too early.” But behind closed doors, contingency…
A year of aggressive tariff swings, legal reversals, and rising economic pressure has done more…
Wall Street is celebrating. The headlines say “peace,” the markets surge, and the talking heads…
You’re being told this is just another Middle East conflict and rising tensions in Asia—but…
While headlines focus on war and inflation, central banks around the world are quietly stacking…
The headlines say rising grocery prices are an unfortunate side effect of war. That’s not…
This website uses cookies.
Read More