Written by: Martin
December 29, China People's Bank Vice Governor Lu Lei publicly announced that the "Action Plan for Further Strengthening the Digital Renminbi Management Service System and Related Financial Infrastructure Construction" will be officially implemented on January 1, 2026. The digital renminbi will transition from the "Digital Cash" phase to the "Digital Deposit" 2.0 era. The core highlight of this transformation is that the balance of real-name digital renminbi wallets will start earning interest, bringing tangible benefits to users.
According to the deployment of the "Action Plan," banking institutions will accrue interest on the balances of first, second, and third-class real-name digital renminbi wallets, with interest rates referencing the bank's current deposit rates. Users do not need to take any additional actions, and the payment experience will remain unaffected. Meanwhile, anonymous fourth-class wallets opened with just a mobile phone number will still retain small payment functions, but their balances will not accrue interest for now, balancing convenience with compliance requirements.