{"id":13174,"date":"2023-10-27T06:30:15","date_gmt":"2023-10-27T06:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/?p=13174"},"modified":"2025-04-23T09:05:12","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T09:05:12","slug":"china-foreigners-use-chinas-e-cny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/china-foreigners-use-chinas-e-cny\/","title":{"rendered":"Can foreigners use China’s e-CNY?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The integration of foreign bank accounts into China\u2019s digital currency app could make it much easier for foreigners to get around a largely cashless China in future, Miranda Jarrett from Dao Insights<\/h2>\n

For foreigners with an eye on visiting China, the past few months have been marked by two major milestones in China\u2019s digital payment landscape. The first was when WeChat Pay and Alipay (China\u2019s dominant digital payment apps, owned by tech giants Tencent and Alibaba, respectively) opened account sign-ups to anyone with a Visa or MasterCard bank account.<\/p>\n

The benefits of this long-awaited update are clear \u2013 finally, those visiting China\u2019s major cities on a short-term basis can seamlessly get by in what is now a largely cashless society. Payments being restricted to residents with Chinese bank accounts has been a major issue plaguing tourist, business and academic trips right up until this summer.<\/p>\n

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Last month saw the introduction of a similar but perhaps less celebrated update, this time for the e-CNY digital wallet. This is the official app used for managing the digital form of the Renminbi \u2013 otherwise known as China\u2019s Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) or sometimes called the digital yuan. The e-CNY is still in the pilot phase, with no set date for a nationwide rollout, but the long-term goal is to fully replace the physical CNY.<\/p>\n

As with WeChat Pay and Alipay, the most recent update means foreigners can now open an e-CNY digital wallet using a Visa or Mastercard account, which was previously only possible for account holders at one of seven approved Chinese banks. As an extra bonus, the wallet app has also done away with its requirement for users to sign up with a local Chinese phone number, significantly lowering the barrier of entry for non-Chinese nationals.<\/p>\n