Chinese media reveals: Digital RMB will be piloted in Xiong'an with the participation of 19 brands including Starbucks and McDonald's.

According to a document revealed by Interchain Pulse, a pilot promotion meeting was held in Xiong'an New Area in Hebei on the afternoon of April 22, led by the local reform and development bureau. Unlike the previous transportation subsidy case in Suzhou, the promotion list in Xiong'an mainly focuses on the application of digital currency electronic payment (DCEP) in the catering and retail industries.

According to previous reports, Guangdong Shenzhen, Hebei Xiong'an, Sichuan Chengdu, and Jiangsu Suzhou are the main pilot areas for the digital RMB, as these are first and second-tier cities and also hubs for technology talent. Xiong'an is a special new city located at the center of the triangle formed by Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei province.

During the conference in Xiong'an New Area, important government representatives from the New Area Management Committee Development and Reform Bureau, the People's Bank of China Shijiazhuang Central Branch Xiong'an New Area Legal RMB Pilot Work Implementation Team, Xiong'an New Area Smart City Alliance, as well as local representatives from the four major banks supporting the digital RMB, Ant Financial, and Tencent, were present.

One of the highlights of this news is the inclusion of catering and retail operators as pilot applications. According to Interchain Pulse, the specific list includes: China Ocean SPV, Jinfeng Catering, Jiankun Catering, Kailin Hotel, Oscar Cinema, McDonald's, Starbucks, Subway, Jinbaihe, Cainiao Station, UnionPay unmanned supermarket, JD unmanned supermarket, Weileke Bakery, Kunlun Haokè convenience store, Qingfeng Baozipu, Zhongtibeili, CITIC Bookstore, Taolige, New Era unmanned vehicle, totaling 19 units.

According to Interchain Pulse, China Ocean SPV is the only non-catering retail institution among them, mainly engaged in construction engineering, and may be the first to open digital RMB for its employees to use for testing.

As mentioned in the "Hebei Xiong'an New Area Master Plan": "Adhere to the synchronous planning and construction of digital cities and real cities, moderately advance the layout of intelligent infrastructure, promote real-time controllable application services for global intelligence, establish a sound big data asset management system, and create a globally leading digital city with deep learning capabilities."

As the youngest and closest to the capital city among the cities in the digital RMB pilot area, it not only launched 5G network as early as 2019 but also established a blockchain laboratory at the end of March this year. This emerging city planned and operated by the central government of China is actively developing.

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