Chinese consumers spend 8.8 million in digital yuan trial
Equivalent to around $1.3 million in spend, Shenzhen residents reportedly turn to the as-yet-unreleased digital currency for payments in a variety of everyday settings.
Equivalent to around $1.3 million in spend, Shenzhen residents reportedly turn to the as-yet-unreleased digital currency for payments in a variety of everyday settings.
The American fast food giants were previously thought to have been among the 3,000 firms taking part in trials of China’s digital yuan.
In this week’s CoinGeek Pulse, Shenzhen residents receive digital yuan in People’s Bank of China’s red packet giveaway, G20 wants to set standards for sovereign digital currencies, and James Belding gave an online demonstration of the Tokenized platform.
Luohu district in Shenzhen will distribute 50,000 digital ‘red packets’, each containing 200 yuan ($29.7) in a lottery.
The China Construction Bank briefly rolled out the feature over the weekend, allowing users of its mobile app to access the digital yuan.
The digital currency electronic payment has been on a test run, targeting small retail transactions amid preparations for nationwide rollout.
The People’s Bank of China has already met with the Beijing company to discuss proposals to trial digital yuan across its platform.
DiDi has entered into a strategic partnership with the People’s Bank of China’s Digital Currency Research Institute to solidify the initiative.
Yi Gang, head of the Chinese central bank, said there was no date for an official launch yet for the digital yuan project.
Participating banks will be able to share information on the blockchain, without the need for third party verification or intervention.
The pair joins 19 retail shops and restaurants in signing up for the digital yuan trial, which will take place in Xiong'An, China.
The scheme will see government employees in Suzhou paid 50% of their travel subsidies for May in digital currency.