China-Led Digital Currency Platform Sees Rapid Growth in Cross-Border Use
Transactions on a China-backed cross-border digital currency platform have surged past $55 billion, signaling growing momentum behind efforts to reduce reliance on dollar-based global payment systems, according to a new report.
Analysis by the Atlantic Council shows that the prototype platform, known as mBridge, has now processed more than 4,000 cross-border transactions. The project is being tested by central banks in China, Hong Kong, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
The cumulative transaction value reached $55.5 billion, representing an increase of roughly 2,500 times since the platform’s early testing phase in 2022. The digital yuan accounted for an estimated 95% of total transaction volume, underlining China’s dominant role in the system.
The digital yuan, also known as e-CNY, remains the world’s largest live central bank digital currency experiment. Recent figures from the People’s Bank of China showed the e-CNY has processed more than 3.4 billion transactions worth around 16.7 trillion yuan ($2.4 trillion), an increase of over 800% compared with 2023.
Chinese state media reported last month that holders of the e-CNY will begin earning interest on balances held in digital wallets or bank accounts later this year, a move widely interpreted as an effort to encourage broader adoption.
“Taken together, these developments point to a gradual expansion of the yuan’s internationalization through digital infrastructure,” said Alisha Chhangani, a policy analyst at the Atlantic Council.
THE RACE IS ON
The rapid progress of mBridge is being closely monitored by policymakers worldwide. The project was originally overseen by the Bank for International Settlements, but the Switzerland-based institution unexpectedly withdrew from the initiative in late 2024.
While not a direct competitor, the BIS has since shifted its focus to a separate cross-border payments project involving seven major central banks, including the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the European Central Bank (via the Banque de France), the Bank of Japan, Swiss National Bank and Bank of England. That group said this week it is accelerating testing in collaboration with more than 40 large commercial banks.
Despite that, mBridge remains well ahead in terms of real-world usage. In November, the UAE Ministry of Finance and the Dubai Department of Finance completed the first government transaction using a wholesale digital dirham on the platform.
Chhangani said mBridge is likely to increasingly target trade settlements, particularly in energy and commodities, sectors where China already plays a central commercial role. Rather than directly displacing the U.S. dollar, she said, the platform is creating parallel settlement infrastructure that reduces dependence on existing dollar-based systems.
“Project mBridge is unlikely to challenge dollar dominance outright, but it may incrementally erode it,” she said.
The People’s Bank of China did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside business hours.
