China Expands e-CNY Operators to 30 in 2026 Amid Digital Yuan Growth

The People's Bank of China has announced that it has tripled the number of bank-class e-CNY operators to 30 in 2026. This expansion comes after adding eight banks, including Ping An Bank and Hengfeng Bank, to the network on August 17.

The operator network had previously expanded from 10 to 22 institutions in April 2026, with the addition of 12 banks, including CITIC Bank and China Everbright Bank. This growth is attributed to a policy change that took effect on January 1, 2026, moving the e-CNY beyond a cash-like instrument toward a form of digital deposit money.

With this expansion, wallet balances held with authorized commercial banks count toward deposit and reserve metrics, and the e-CNY can bear interest under this framework. The current counts sit at 30 domestic bank-class operators as of August 17, 2026, and 26 international direct participants signed in mid-2026.