The multipolarization of the global reserve currency system is accelerating. Ironically, Western sanctions against Russia have intensified the move away from the U.S. dollar.

As the internationalization of currencies in emerging economies advances, a multipolar monetary system will result. Look for an international monetary system characterized not by a single currency alone but by multiple players.

China’s economic troubles in 2022, exacerbated by zero-COVID regulations and stiff barriers for travel and exports, have caused consumer demand to hit a new low. The digital yuan, the first centrally backed crypto token, could be the solution Beijing needs to restore consumer trust in their economy.

Europe has taken a strategic stance when it comes to its relationship with the U.S. and with China. While the U.S. has strengthened ties with its European allies to contain China, Europe also supports China’s monetary ambitions regarding the RMB.

China’s digital yuan soft launched during the Beijing Winter Olympics, ushering in a new era of financial institutions. Already a leader in digital payment infrastructure, China’s ambition to solidify the digital yuan’s use will change how an already robust ecosystem operates.

While many central banks are still investigating the possibility of issuing a digital currency, China has rolled out a digital currency via a series of pilot programs since last year.

China is working to assert itself as a global leader in digital currency through the implementation of the digital yuan. The results of this could unravel the global financial system at worst, but at best, could establish a global infrastructure with equal monetary anchors.

China’s state-backed digital currency has the potential to reshape global financial markets and could revolutionize money for good.

The People’s Bank of China is pressing forward with a digital yuan, which leaves China’s digital currency plans significantly ahead of western nations’. While the U.S dollar has dominated global trade since WWII, the yuan, whether digital or analog, will have a leading role in challenging the hegemony of the dollar.

In early August, the renminbi’s exchange rate broke through the psychological threshold of CN¥7 per US dollar. While investors were still digesting the full significance of this event, US President Donald Trump’s administration startled the market by labeling China a “currency manipulator.”