Beijing’s push for their digital yuan has been met with a great deal of curiosity and speculation. However, the city government’s recent decision to launch the digital currency at the 2022 Winter Olympics has put companies like Visa in a bind.
The implications of the digital yuan are far-reaching and can potentially shape the future of money. This article will explore why Beijing is pushing the digital yuan and how it could affect the global economy.
Overview of Digital Yuan
The digital yuan is the world’s first official digital currency. It is being developed by the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) as part of their efforts to modernise China’s financial system. It was created in response to the increasing popularity of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, which offer a decentralised and anonymous solution to making payments.
However, the digital yuan will differ from cryptocurrencies as it will still be centrally managed by the PBOC and remain under their control. As a result, it will have several advantages over existing digital payment methods such as credit cards or mobile payments – most notably its ability to provide a low-cost payment method. Other benefits include greater convenience for consumers and businesses, improved transparency for regulatory authorities, reduced capital flight from China, and increased economic efficiency nationally and globally.
As a result, Beijing has been aggressively pushing the development of the digital yuan to bring its financial technology (fintech) capabilities up to speed with its economic development goals. They have invested significant amounts into research & development (R&D), built up partnerships with major domestic and international banks, launched pilot programs in select cities around the country, and secured commitments from companies such as Tencent Holdings Ltd., Ant Financial Services Group etc., among others. By introducing this new form of payment system, Beijing hopes they can move away from traditional paper money transactions while maintaining more control over financial markets within their country.
The Winter Olympics as a Catalyst for Digital Yuan Push
The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics may catalyse the rapid development of the digital yuan, China’s central bank-issued digital currency. A report by the Financial Times suggests that Beijing is following through on its promise of widespread adoption with an intent to use it at tourist attractions, retail shops and even restaurants in preparation for the Winter Olympics.
The Chinese government has identified a clear goal of promoting mobile payments and other digital services ahead of its iconic event. There have been numerous reports regarding progress in finalising the technical details surrounding a new national digital currency/electronic payment (DCEP) system. These advancements include facial recognition for transactions and large-scale infiltration into existing banking systems.
China is asserting itself as a leader in fintech innovation, leveraging broad financial sector reforms alongside policy objectives such as reducing costs associated with cash and creating uniform standards across industries. With this 11th hour effort to launch a digital yuan before February 2022, Beijing hopes to go from being known as one of the world’s most cash-driven countries to an example of innovative mobile payments solutions. Whether China succeeds in this ambitious undertaking remains yet to be seen.
Visa’s Position
Launching the digital yuan has been a major event in the world of payments, with Beijing pushing the new digital currency at the upcoming Winter Olympics. This has put Visa in a difficult position, as the company faces a dilemma between supporting the local currency or the world’s largest credit card company.
Let’s look closer at Visa’s position and what it means for the digital yuan.
Visa’s Disadvantage in China
When considering their foothold in China, Visa has to compete with a range of local financial firms with different positions in the payment industry. In particular, Visa’s position is disadvantaged due to China’s push for their digital yuan.
Alipay and WeChatPay dominate payments with e-wallet systems integrated into the daily lives of Chinese citizens. In addition, these companies enable mobile payments and other services such as money transfers and peer-to-peer banking. This threatens the long-term viability of traditional card networks like Visa, as these existing systems put them at a disadvantage domestically and globally.
Additionally, while Visa has become somewhat successful in adopting contactless or ‘tap-to-pay’ technology into the current payment infrastructure, the rollout was limited mainly to regions with high card usage – such as larger cities in China. The digital yuan project will likely prove quite challenging for Visa authorities to contend with due to its decentralised, encrypted system that does not depend on preinstalled hardware like EMV chip cards or POS terminals – meaning most users may still be unconnected from such technologies no matter what kind of phone they possess. Introducing this new payment medium accelerates competition among players already proficient with e-hailing and contactless technologies in the Chinese market further decreasing Visas’ competitive position.
At the Winter Olympics, Beijing’s Digital Yuan Push Puts Visa in a Bind
In response to Beijing’s push for a digital yuan, U.S. payment company Visa has expressed keen interest in the Chinese central bank-backed cryptocurrency. But, at the same instance, the firm has also made its priorities clear – that it remains focused on blockchain and other existing technologies to spur innovation in the global payments system.
Visa CEO Alfred F. Kelly had addressed this issue in an interview with Bloomberg TV, stating that while they “have taken a look” at the digital yuan and have been following developments, they are keeping an eye on broader strategies and technologies in global payment systems.
Visa is currently partnering with central banks across different regions to build infrastructure that facilitates seamless real-time payments through their proprietary network VISA Direct and new age blockchain solutions like Hyperledger. In addition, Kelly also touched upon topics like access to capital markets through green finance instruments or sustainable bonds as avenues of furthering investment opportunities which will enable growth in emerging markets across Africa and Asia.
This strategic stance communicates Visa’s continued commitment not only towards innovation but towards being an advocate of sustainable growth within financial markets and technological advancement.
Beijing’s Motivation
The Chinese government is pushing forward with their digital yuan at the Winter Olympics. This is a bold move as it signals their intent to expand the use of their digital currency. However, it also puts Visa in a difficult spot because they are the official payment processor of the Games.
The reasons behind this push are explored in this article.
China’s Desire for Financial Independence
China seeks to increase its financial independence from the global economy in its push for the digital yuan. By having its currency, China would no longer depend on the US Dollar or any other major international currency to conduct day-to-day transactions. Instead, it would have a way of transaction that is independent from foreign monopolies and fluctuations.
The digital yuan is also expected to reduce transaction costs, especially in larger amounts or cross-border payments. It could enable a faster process for completing some financial transactions and may make tracing payments easier when compared with cash or other forms of currency. In addition, because of its capacity for traceability, the digital yuan could help Beijing better manage taxation and combat money laundering — something Chinese authorities are vigorously pursuing.
Furthermore, the digital yuan is seen by some as a route to conquer fears of capital flight — when local citizens invest abroad due to uncertainty over their economic conditions at home; certainly something that has been discussed extensively recently with increasing concerns regarding trade disputes between China and certain countries such as the United States. But most importantly, if successful the digital yuan could give China a voice in reforming global monetary standards and managing international reserve holdings — marking an unprecedented expansion into global finance power for Beijing.
China’s Digital Currency Ambitions
China is the world’s most populous nation and its economy is growing rapidly. As its influence on the global stage continues to grow, it is no surprise that China has ambitions to become a major player in the digital currency market. The country’s government has announced its ambition to launch a digital version of the yuan, dubbed “digital yuan” – motivated by several strategic objectives.
The idea behind launching a digital version of the yuan is for China to have more control over its monetary policies and financial system. This would allow Beijing to better regulate money circulation, reduce the costs of transactions and transaction services, and clear up potential problems associated with privacy issues related to financial activities. It could also reduce China’s dependence on foreign systems or trading partners, such as Europe or the U.S., for accessing payments technology or clearing systems – hence providing an alternative payment solution domestically for Chinese people within an ever increasing ‘cashless society’.
Furthermore, it could make it easier for Chinese authorities to trace and combat money laundering activities within their borders while doing its bit in meeting international standards with regards to AML/CFT regulations eventually making its presence felt globally in effect reducing Bank transaction costs at border trade between countries providing competition with SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) while not risking running afoul of U.S sanctions.
Finally, having a digital yuan could give China some measure of protection against trade disputes due to conflicting international economic conditions and currencies volatility by allowing greater control over foreign exchange rates relative valuations as well mitigate risks arising from volatile movements in traditional options used by investors – a function done traditionally by Central Banks in almost all countries today.
Implications
Beijing is pushing for the world to recognize the digital yuan, a digital currency, at the approaching 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Their efforts could have implications for Visa, a major worldwide payment provider, and digital money’s future.
This article will explore the implications of Beijing’s push for the digital yuan and its possible impact on Visa.
Impact on Visa
Visa, the world’s largest payment card network, is likely to be affected by Beijing’s push for a digital yuan. As more consumers switch from paper currency to digital payments, Visa will lose substantial business. This presents an opportunity for China’s central bank to capture advantages in the global payments industry.
The impact of this shift on Visa and other competitors is twofold. First, increased adoption of digital currency could mean a decrease in Visa’s current business with traditional payment methods. Second, by introducing its alternative digital currency, Beijing gains a foothold in global payments, which could eventually lead it to become one of the industry’s leaders.
Furthermore, suppose Beijing succeeds in developing and adopting its version of electronic money. In that case, it could weaken traditional remittance channels such as Visa and increase the dominance of domestically-controlled payment systems in countries such as China. There has been some progress made with Hong Kong having recently announced plans to launch its digital yuan trial program with support from mainland Chinese tech companies.
The Chinese government’s foray into this new technology could prove disruptive to players such as Visa — making it all the more important for them to stay ahead in developments and innovation if they want to maintain their hold on the global payments market.
Impact on Global Financial System
Analysts have raised the possibility that Beijing’s plan to introduce a digital version of its currency, the yuan, could shift the global financial system. While some argue that it could hinder efforts by countries like the United States to maintain economic hegemony, others suggest that it may create more ease and efficiency in intercountry transactions, thus benefiting international trade and finance.
The People’s Bank of China, the nation’s central bank, has been working on developing a digital yuan since 2014. The digital currency is still at trial but could be officially launched next year. According to reports, the move is part of China’s strategy to challenge the US dollar’s global hegemony and existing international financial infrastructure.
If adopted successfully and widely used across China and other parts of Asia first, experts believe Beijing’s digital currency could gain traction globally. This could result in wider acceptance of the Chinese yuan as an international reserve currency rather than just being used for domestic transactions.
The implications are economically and politically vast, including increased transparency in financial transactions worldwide while simultaneously reducing banking system capital outflows and enabling real-time overseas payments using mobile wallets such as AliPay or WeChat Pay. Additionally, it lessens dependence on Swift – an international payment network used by banks worldwide – which creates potential risk for those countries subject to US sanctions or trade embargoes. Countries such as Russia or Iran are already attempting to find alternatives to Swift based cross border payments due to their current sanctions status among other reasons.
Undoubtedly this serves as yet another example signalling an ongoing power shift from West to East on issues related to global economics and finance which started taking shape over a decade ago with notable examples being world economic bodies such as AIIB (Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank) created outside western control and circumventing World Bank & IMF rules among others. However, with 20 years remaining until Chinese digital yuan comes into full force ,it remains too early at this juncture for analysts internationally make any definitive conclusions about its ultimate impact on global money transfers especially given powers such as USA are unlikely keep quiet should their dollar & status increasingly encroached upon globally within countries once closely allied with them due mainly economic rather than political motives.