TLDR
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China adds eight banks to its digital yuan network, raising operators to 30.
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New banks will offer e-CNY services after completing technical preparations.
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PBOC aims to expand digital yuan access for businesses and regional markets.
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China continues widening e-CNY use across retail and cross-border payments.
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Digital yuan expansion builds on 12 additional banks approved in April 2026.
China has expanded its digital yuan network by adding eight banks as authorized operators of the state-backed currency. The latest expansion raises the number of approved e-CNY operating institutions across the country to 30. The move also broadens access to digital yuan services for households, businesses, and cross-border users.
China Adds Eight Banks to Digital Yuan Network
The People’s Bank of China added eight commercial banks to its authorized digital yuan operating network. The group includes Ping An Bank, Hengfeng Bank, China Bohai Bank, and Bank of Shanghai. Bank of Hangzhou, Huishang Bank, Bank of Changsha, and Guangxi Beibu Gulf Bank also joined.
The new banks will connect directly with the central bank’s digital yuan system after completing required technical preparations. They will then provide digital yuan services through their existing banking networks and customer service channels. China expects the expanded network to improve access to secure, convenient, and efficient digital payment services.
The new operators include joint-stock commercial banks and several city commercial banks serving important regional markets. Their inclusion can strengthen digital yuan services for smaller businesses and companies operating outside major financial centers. China also expects broader bank participation to support digital payments linked with regional and cross-border commercial activity.
PBOC Broadens Access to e-CNY Services
The latest expansion follows another major increase in authorized digital yuan operators earlier this year. In April, the central bank added 12 banks, including city commercial banks for the first time. Those additions significantly widened China’s e-CNY distribution network beyond the country’s largest financial institutions.
Before the 2026 expansion, only ten banks operated digital yuan services under authorization from the central bank. Industrial Bank became the tenth approved operator in 2022, before additions paused for several years. China restarted the expansion process after announcing plans in October 2025 to admit more commercial banks.
The central bank has linked wider participation with stronger competition and improved access across the digital yuan system. More authorized institutions can provide services in regions where the existing banking network has limited e-CNY coverage. China also wants different bank types to support a more open and inclusive digital currency infrastructure.
China Builds on Years of Digital Yuan Development
The PBOC began researching central bank digital currency technology in 2014 before launching digital yuan pilots in 2019. Since then, China has expanded e-CNY testing into several payment areas across different cities and regions. The currency now supports transactions covering retail purchases, dining, education, healthcare, tourism, and public services.
Authorities have also tested the digital yuan in cross-border settlements and payment services designed for foreign visitors. These programs have helped extend e-CNY usage beyond domestic retail transactions and government payment systems. The wider banking network could now strengthen support for businesses handling international payments and regional trade.
The PBOC plans to continue adding operators as the digital yuan develops across more financial and commercial services. Greater participation could reduce regional service gaps while giving customers more ways to access e-CNY products. China therefore continues building the infrastructure needed to expand its central bank digital currency across the broader economy.
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