Digital Yuan Goes Head to Head With Alipay, WeChat in Beijing
- Banks, tech firms rush to put latest gadgets on show at fair
- Winter Olympics to be a key test for e-yuan popularity
This article is for subscribers only.
Swipe your bracelet, watch or even a walking stick, and you can pay for your goods with digital yuan.
These are just some of the quirky gadgets that China’s central bank, lenders and technology giants are showcasing to Beijing residents ahead of a broader rollout of the e-currency when the city hosts the Winter Olympics in February. The wearable devices, embedded with a digital yuan chip, can be tapped against a scanner, transferring the currency from an e-wallet without needing an internet connection.