China triples its e-CNY network in 2026 as 8 more banks join the CBDC push this week
The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) added 20 new operators this year across two rounds of expansions, including eight additions this week.
Source: CoinDesk
―
DW NOTE
China has added 20 operators to its CBDC infrastructure this year — which means exactly nothing for adoption. The PBOC can triple the network overnight; that's the prerogative of a command economy. The measure that matters is transaction volume relative to Alipay and WeChat Pay, and on that front the e-CNY remains a rounding error. Expanding the pipes does not create demand for the product, especially when the product offers surveillance with no offsetting benefit to the user.