Thanks Bro. In the spirit of your invocation I offer the following talking point:
Reports suggest the Reserve Bank in closely watching the digital RMB rollout in China. See cut and paste below.
I wonder how this Fintech revolution, which takes the Banks out of banking, will enable the DW8 business plan, particularly in relation to the announcement today.
The digital renminbi (RMB) or the yuan, a virtual currency administered by the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), the country’s central bank, has arrived in full in Shanghai. After tests run in several other cities, it’s now in use at the city’s Tong Ren Hospital, providing staff with an easy way to pay for their meals in the canteen.
An example is doctor, whose daily routine was to buy breakfast in the hospital’s canteen. Now he has a new way to pay for his meal – a digital currency card. “It’s just like using a MetroCard. It’s convenient. And you know how much you’ve spent, and how much is left in your card,” he said.
He just needs to come to the payment terminal with the card and it’s taken care of, and shows the remaining balance as well. The payment process is simple, but a large step forward.
What the bank card holds is the digital RMB – not like other digital currencies, but a new experiment currency issued and managed by China’s central bank.
Its development and application will help to meet the demand for a legal currency in the digital economy, while also improving the convenience and security of retail payments.
The digital currency has also been tried out in the cities of Shenzhen and Suzhou, but Tong Ren Hospital’s test is the first of its kind in Shanghai.
“We are planning to open accounts for all our 2,000 employees in January. We hope the currency can come into public use, for things like paying for appointment bookings and registrations,” hospital president said.
The PBOC and Ant Group have also been running the test in a bubble tea shop in the city’s financial center of Lujiazui. While China’s digital currency test runs are still low profile, they’re getting a good deal of global attention.
“Many economies worldwide are exploring digital currencies, and especially in northern Europe. It’s a big trend. And for a large economy like China’s, with a demand to internationalize its currency, the attempt is definitely needed and urgent,” said Orient Securities chief economist.
The PBOC is working with more than 20 commercial banks and e-commerce companies to expand the use of the digital currency, which is due for a wider test at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
(20min delay)