Will Digital Yuan Challenge the US Dollar in International Trade?

According to some economists, the digital Yuan will challenge the dollar’s domination of international trade settlements in the next ten years. More so, China is one of the largest trading countries, and the digital Yuan will slowly displace the dollar when purchasing things from China.

China’s five-year plan covering 2016 through 2020 aimed at promoting Renminbi internalisation and seeing RMB capital go global. China’s motivations for internalising the RMB include escaping U.S. monetary policy, shoring up against dollar shortages, and gaining lower borrowing costs.

However, the essential requirement for any reserve currency is the backing of a large economy, a high trade volume, and a net creditor’s status. China runs closely behind the United States in GDP and trade volume and is a 15% net creditor compared to the United States 80% debtor position.

Beyond pure economic calculations, however, currency control relies on a balance of factors that remain high in favour of the U.S. dollar. Moreover, China’s rule of law, trustworthiness, and tightly controlled economy make investors reluctant to rely on the Chinese currency.

This digital Yuan has been developing for more than eight years since the Peoples Bank of China began the investigation of a government-run Bitcoin in 2014. For instance, in the early years after Satoshi Nakamoto did introduce this virtual currency to the public, Chinese Bitcoin miners were responsible for an estimated ninety-five percent of all the newly minted Bitcoin.

In 2012, the Chinese government discovered this mining activity after investigating suspicious power usage. Mining this electronic currency requires a lot of energy, hence the questionable power usage.

The Chinese government later learned that this electronic money is decentralised, meaning that no financial institution or government can regulate or manipulate this currency.

Moreover, the Chine government knew that this virtual currency was a significant threat to China’s strict social and financial controls. However, when the Chinese officials started banning and regulating this virtual asset, they also saw its potential. But in 2021, all private Bitcoin activity was prohibited by China, and the Chinese economy had primarily transitioned away from paper Yuan.

How Digital Yuan Is Becoming a Reserve Currency

On December first, 2015, the International Monetary Fund announced that it awarded the digital Yuan status as a reserve currency. But why did the International Monetary Fund make this decision? The leaders of China want to improve the standards of living and increase the country’s economic output. The Chinese have linked the digital Yuan to the U.S. dollar via an adjustable peg.

Central banks should increase Yuan’s foreign exchange reserves to provide funds for that level of trade. Most international transactions are still in U.S. dollars, even though its business has dropped significantly. Apart from the U.S. dollar, you can still transact using Bitcoin internationally when you visit Yuan Pay Group and register to purchase this virtual currency with fiat money.

Before the digital Yuan can become a global currency, it must be successful as a reserve currency. On the other hand, governments and institutions hold a reserve currency in large amounts as a supplement to national currencies.

China will benefit a lot once the digital Yuan becomes a reserve currency. One of the many benefits is that Chinese exporters would have lower borrowing costs. Besides that, China will have more economic clout than the United States. Also, all the central banks in China will have to hold the Yuan as part of their foreign exchange reserves.

Chinese leaders are making it easier for people to trade the digital Yuan in foreign exchange markets. Also, if China uses the digital Yuan as the world’s currency, the dollar will not collapse. Instead, it will be a long and slow process that results in a dollar decline but not a total collapse.