Just a few years ago, more than one hundred countries were exploring central bank digital currency (CBDC) projects. Many of those initiatives were later shelved as privately issued stablecoins rose to prominence.
However, there are signs that CBDCs are gaining momentum again. One of the most notable examples is China’s digital yuan (e-CNY), which has processed roughly $2.37 trillion in transactions over the past two years.
Several factors are driving this growth. Chiefly, the CBDC has the full support of China’s government. Authorities have gone so far as to ban cryptocurrencies and tokenized assets, including stablecoins backed by the yuan.
China has also positioned the digital yuan at the center of Project mBridge, a cross-border payments platform. The initiative was launched in 2022 by a consortium of central banks led by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), though the BIS stepped away from the projects two years later.
The revamped Project mBridge now includes UAE, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, and China. Earlier this year, transaction volumes on the platform surpassed $55 billion, with the digital yuan accounting for over 95% of that total.
Reprioritizing Programs
A central goal behind these efforts is to strengthen the yuan’s role in global trade and challenge the dominance of the U.S. dollar and dollar-backed stablecoins. This objective has become a common theme in the renewed push for CBDCs elsewhere, including South Korea’s revived trials of the digital won.
Lawmakers in the European Union have also reprioritized their focus on the digital euro, recently asking payments firms to guide the CBDC through its pilot phase. This marks an important step forward: despite years of debate and delays, the digital euro now appears to be on track for a potential launch late next year.
Overcoming Retail Inertia
Concerns around privacy, security, and infrastructure have slowed progress, and the European payments market is already saturated with alternatives—including card networks, crypto, and domestic real-time payments systems.
Government mandates mean the digital yuan is likely to face a smoother road to consumer adoption. To hasten the pace, China has recently introduced the ability for e-CNY balances to earn interest and has confirmed that digital yuan holdings are protected under the country’s deposit insurance system.
Despite strong government backing, the digital yuan still faces a formidable challenge. China’s retail payments landscape is dominated by super apps like Alipay and WeChat Pay—an entrenched ecosystem that may prove difficult to displace.
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