Central Bank: In the first half of the year, the total amount of banks' RMB cross-border transactions on behalf of clients reached 42.4 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 21.4%.

The report on RMB internationalization released by the central bank shows that from January to June 2026, the total amount of cross-border RMB settlements handled by banks on behalf of clients reached 42.4 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 21.4%. The RMB has become the top settlement currency for China's international receipts and payments, the second largest trade financing currency in the world, the third largest payment currency (in all categories), and the fifth largest foreign exchange trading currency. The RMB's weighting in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Special Drawing Rights (SDR) currency basket ranks third globally.