Chinese workers paid in CBDC are cashing it out for real money: Report

As a crypto investor with experience in the Chinese market, I’m keeping a close eye on China’s digital currency project, or e-CNY, also known as the digital yuan. The recent report suggesting that some state workers are seldom using it and converting it to physical cash is concerning.


According to reports, China’s digital currency initiative, known as e-CNY or digital yuan, is encountering some early challenges. It appears that some Chinese government employees who have received their salaries in this new currency have infrequently used it and instead opted to exchange it for traditional cash.

As a financial analyst, I’ve come across recent developments where certain Chinese cities have started remunerating their state employees using their central bank digital currency (CBDC). However, most of these initial users are reportedly converting their CBDC back into cash promptly, according to a May 13 article in South China Morning Post.

Sammy Lin, an account manager at a Chinese bank in Suzhou, expressed his preference for not leaving his money in the e-CNY app as it doesn’t offer any interest if left idle.

“There are also not so many places, online or offline, where I can use the e-yuan.”

Andrian Wang, a civil servant, expressed that the concept of digital currency for a portion of his wages didn’t concern him significantly.

As an analyst, I’ve come across situations where individuals prefer handling physical currency despite receiving their income in a digital format, such as digital yuan. In this particular case, the wife receives her entire salary digitally but chooses to withdraw it all in cash upon receipt due to limited utility or comfort with using digital money.

Chinese workers paid in CBDC are cashing it out for real money: Report

“She can’t deposit the money or buy financial products with the e-CNY wallet,” Wang said.

As a crypto investor, I’ve noticed that China has been considered “cashless” for quite some time now. However, despite this, there are still concerns among Chinese citizens about adopting a digital currency like the digital yuan. According to a SCMP report, these fears stem from broader concerns over surveillance and its limited use cases.

As a crypto investor, I’ve noticed some apprehensions surrounding the digital yuan. Nevertheless, it’s remarkable to mention that over $250 billion in transactions have been executed using this digital currency by July 20, 2023, as per Yi Gang, the ex-governor of the People’s Bank of China.

As a researcher at Beijing’s Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, I believe it is crucial for the government to allocate sufficient resources towards striking an optimal balance between privacy and security in order to successfully expand the digital yuan across China.

“The use of paper money remains anonymous, whereas the digital yuan raises questions about the balance between data monitoring and privacy protection,” he pointed out.

The new CBDC’s privacy concerns presented the most significant hurdle for the digital finance epoch, according to Gang.

In spite of the privacy apprehensions expressed by the program’s participants, Gang asserted during a March gathering in Beijing that the digital yuan can ensure complete privacy protection using a feature called “controllable anonymity.” This mechanism allows for undetected transactions of minor amounts, but monitors larger ones.

Beginning in 2020, various Chinese regions have been actively promoting the use of their Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). Over $26.5 million (approximately 180 million Chinese yuan) has been distributed among these areas as incentives in the form of subsidies and consumption vouchers.

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2024-05-13 08:59