China has quietly taken a bold step in its bid to expand the global footprint of its digital currency.

On Thursday, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) inaugurated an international operations centre for its central bank digital currency, the digital yuan (e-CNY) in Shanghai, according to a report from the

PBOC Deputy Governor, Lu Lei, framed the move as part of a “historical inevitability” in payments innovation, with the aim of offering a more efficient, inclusive, and open global cross-border payment system.

The initiative is intended to enhance settlement efficiency, and serve as building blocks toward a broader framework for e-CNY integration.

China's CBDC push comes in the wake of the country pulling the brakes on tokenization efforts. Earlier this week, China's securities regulator to pause their real-world asset (RWA) tokenization businesses in Hong Kong.

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