Digital yuan gets green light on buses, trains in Xiamen, Guangzhou cities

China’s digital yuan is now accepted on Guangzhou city trams and can be used to recharge Xiamen’s city public transport card, as the metropolises join an expanding network of cities using the digital currency.

See related article: Chinese state media calls for wider e-CNY adoption

Fast facts

• Xiamen city’s public transportation swipe cards can be reloaded with digital yuan beginning May 6, Xiamen local media reported.

• Xiamen’s public transportation system will next allow passengers to pay fares using a digital yuan payment QR code, the report said.

• With Guangzhou and Xiamen, at least 12 of China’s 23 digital yuan pilot cities have started to accept such payments on their public transportation systems, according to a Forkast analysis.

• The digital yuan, or e-CNY, is China’s central bank digital currency (CBDC), which began public tests in October 2020 and is now piloting in 23 cities in China.

See related article: Xiamen issues China’s first blockchain-based commemorative subway ticket