Digital renminbi

Digital renminbi (Chinese: 数字人民币; also abbreviated as digital RMB and e-CNY), or Digital Currency Electronic Payment (DCEP, Chinese: 数字货币电子支付; pinyin: Shùzì huòbì diànzǐ zhīfù), is a central bank digital currency issued by China's central bank, the People's Bank of China. It is the first digital currency to be issued by a major economy, undergoing public testing as of April 2021. The digital RMB is legal tender and has equivalent value to other forms of renminbi, also known as the Chinese yuan (CNY), such as bills and coins. The digital yuan is designed to move instantaneously in both domestic and international transactions. It aims to be cheaper and faster than existing financial transactions. The technology enables transactions to take place between two offline devices. The digital renminbi is seen by some commentators as a form of Chinese government surveillance and control over users and their financial transactions.