China’s central bank has unveiled a sweeping overhaul of its digital yuan framework, announcing that commercial banks will soon begin paying interest on digital yuan holdings — a significant policy shift designed to accelerate adoption of the country’s central bank digital currency after years of slow uptake.
In an article published on Monday by state-owned Financial News, Lu Lei, a deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), said the digital yuan, officially known as the e-CNY, will transition from functioning primarily as digital cash to operating as a form of “digital deposit currency.” The new framework is set to take effect on January 1, 2026.
The move marks the most substantial change yet in China’s decade-long digital currency project and signals Beijing’s recognition that the e-CNY needs stronger economic incentives to compete with dominant private payment platforms.
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From digital cash to digital deposits
Under the new framework, verified digital yuan wallets will earn interest, with rates aligned to existing self-regulatory agreements governing deposit pricing in China’s banking system. In addition, digital yuan balances will be covered by China’s deposit insurance scheme, giving them the same level of protection as conventional bank deposits.
Lu said the reform follows more than ten years of experimentation and pilot programmes, noting that the e-CNY is widely viewed as one of the most advanced central bank digital currencies globally. Despite that technological lead, adoption has lagged behind expectations since the formal pilot began in 2019.
By allowing interest payments, the PBOC is effectively positioning the digital yuan closer to a bank deposit rather than a simple cash substitute — a shift analysts say could make the currency more attractive to households and businesses that currently see little reason to hold it.
The policy also gives banks greater flexibility to integrate digital yuan balances into their broader asset and liability management, potentially easing concerns that widespread e-CNY use could disrupt traditional funding structures.
For non-bank payment institutions, Lu said digital yuan reserve funds will be treated the same as existing customer reserves, with a 100% reserve requirement applied — a measure aimed at maintaining financial stability and regulatory consistency.
Scale without mass adoption
As of the end of November 2025, China had processed 3.48 billion digital yuan transactions worth a cumulative 16.7 trillion yuan ($2.38 trillion), according to PBOC data cited by Lu. While the figures highlight the scale of the pilot programme, they also mask a key challenge: the e-CNY remains marginal in daily consumer payments compared with entrenched platforms such as Alipay and WeChat Pay.
Those private platforms dominate China’s cashless economy, offering seamless ecosystems that combine payments with messaging, shopping, credit, and wealth management. By contrast, the digital yuan has largely been used for government disbursements, transport payments, pilot retail scenarios, and controlled trials.
The introduction of interest and deposit insurance appears aimed squarely at narrowing that gap and encouraging users to hold e-CNY balances rather than treating the currency as a pass-through payment tool.
Renewed push at home and abroad
The overhaul comes as Chinese authorities intensify efforts to promote the digital yuan both domestically and internationally. Last week, the PBOC said it would expand cross-border use of the e-CNY, including a planned pilot with Singapore, while deepening CBDC payment links with Thailand, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
In September, the central bank also launched the e-CNY International Operation Center in Shanghai, a move widely seen as part of Beijing’s broader ambition to increase the global role of the yuan and reduce reliance on dollar-based payment systems.
The international push contrasts with China’s continued hard line against decentralized cryptocurrencies. While Beijing has embraced blockchain technology and state-backed digital money, cryptocurrency trading and mining remain banned on the mainland, underscoring the government’s preference for tightly controlled digital finance.
By paying interest on digital yuan holdings, China is addressing one of the core weaknesses of its CBDC rollout: the lack of a clear financial incentive for users. The shift also blurs the line between traditional bank deposits and central bank-issued digital money, raising longer-term questions about competition for deposits and the evolving role of commercial banks.
However, the PBOC is betting that aligning the e-CNY more closely with existing banking norms, rather than positioning it as a disruptive alternative, will finally help the digital yuan move from pilot projects to everyday use. Whether that is enough to challenge China’s powerful private payment giants remains the next test.