China digital currency: Shanghai, Hainan among regions added to e-yuan trials
- Six more regions, including Shanghai and Hainan, have been added to China’s digital currency pilot programme
- China has been a forerunner in developing a central bank digital currency, with cross-border testing also under way

China has added six more regions to its pilot programme for the sovereign digital yuan, expanding the scope of testing as the country inches closer to launching the world’s first central bank digital currency among major economies.
The financial hub of Shanghai, Hainan province in the far south, the central cities of Changsha and Xi’an, as well as the port cities of Qingdao in Shandong province and Dalian in Liaoning province have been chosen to participate in the programme, said Li Bin, head of the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) macroprudential policy bureau, on Monday.
By expanding its testing of the digital currency electronic payment (DCEP) – the technical name for the digital currency – China has consolidated its position as a global leader in developing a central bank digital currency (CBDC).
