e-CNY

What is e-CNY ?

What is e-CNY

e-CNY is a legal tender in digital form issued by the People’s Bank of China (PBoC). It can be changed into physical renminbi cash in 1:1. e-CNY pilots have been conducted in a number of major cities on the Mainland since 2019.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the PBoC have made further progress in the e-CNY pilot for cross-boundary payments, to expand the scope of e-CNY pilot in Hong Kong to facilitate the set up and the use of e-CNY wallets by Hong Kong residents, as well as the top-up of e-CNY wallets through the Faster Payment System (FPS). The e-CNY will provide an additional safe, convenient and innovative means of cross-boundary retail payments to residents in Hong Kong and the Mainland. It will also enhance the efficiency and user experience of cross-boundary payments, and promote the interconnectivity of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).

User guide

Downloading and registration:

The name of the official application (App) is “e-CNY”. User can conduct keyword search of “e-CNY” or “數字人民幣” on the App store page (including Google Play and Apple App store), and then download and install the e-CNY wallet App.

Users can register with their Hong Kong mobile phone numbers and select e-CNY wallet operating institution (s).

Top-up procedures：

Press “Top-up”
Enter the top-up amount and press “Next”
Choose “FPS” as the payment method
Click “Pay” and select a supported bank in Hong Kong for making payment and the page will automatically switch to the mobile banking App selected by the user
Select the bank account for withdrawal
Follow the usual procedures for making payment to top up the e-CNY wallet.

In addition to RMB accounts, some banks support top-up with HKD accounts, directly exchange to RMB from HKD account. The exchange rate will be displayed to users for reference in real time.

Personal wallet limits^#:

(RMB)

Wallet balance maximum limit:	10,000
Limit per transaction:	2,000
Daily cumulative payment limit:	5,000
Annual cumulative payment limit:	50,000

Note: e-CNY operating institutions can set limits not exceeding the above amounts based on their risk management. Users can also lower the limits of their e-CNY wallets according to their needs.

Usage：

Retail payments (person-to-person transfer are not allowed)

Participating institutions:

Four e-CNY wallet operating institutions participating in the e-CNY cross-boundary pilots in Hong Kong.

17 retail banks in Hong Kong providing top-up e-CNY wallet service via the FPS

Transaction inquiry:

Clicking on the note area on the homepage will flip the page. Select “Transaction records” and select individual transactions for details.

Redemption arrangement:

Users can go to designated branches¹ of the wallet operating institutions’ subsidiaries in Hong Kong to redeem the balance of e-CNY in their wallets for cash.

^# The pilot supports each Hong Kong mobile phone number to open an e-CNY personal wallet, which is a tier-4 wallet. e-CNY wallet has four tiers. Tiers 1 to 3 require real name authentication to open and provides higher transaction limits.

¹Bank of China (Hong Kong: Bank of China Tower Branch, Causeway Bay Branch, Mong Kok Branch, Telford Plaza Branch, Yuen Long Branch and Tai Po Branch
Bank of Communications (Hong Kong): Central District Branch, Kowloon Branch and Tsuen Wan Branch
China Construction Bank (Asia): Central Consumer Branch, Kowloon Bay CCB Centre Consumer Branch and Tai Po Consumer Branch
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Asia): Wanchai Branch, Yaumatei Branch,Tseung Kwan O Branch and Tuen Mun San Hui Branch

Smart Tips on Using e-CNY Wallet
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Smart Tips on Using e-CNY Wallet
- Make sure to download the official App “e-CNY” from App store (including Google Play and Apple App Store). e-CNY App can only be downloaded from App Store and will NOT be downloadable from a weblink.
- To register for an e-CNY personal wallet in Hong Kong, it requires only a Hong Kong mobile phone number. After registration, user can choose the e-CNY wallets offered by the operating institution¹. There is no need for a Mainland bank account and top-up can be made via the FPS.
- The e-CNY wallets can only be used for cross-boundary retail payment² but not “person-to-person transfer”. In the future, the e-CNY wallet may be upgraded to higher tiers with higher payment limits and broader range of functionalities when real-name verification will be supported by the e-CNY app.
- In addition to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), e-CNY wallets can also be used in other Mainland pilot cities.
- Users can set up their login and payment passwords for their e-CNY wallets, enable or disable the small-value no-password payment function (“Quick Pay limit”) and set Quick Pay limit in a flexible manner for security purpose.
- Should users have any questions about using e-CNY, please contact the relevant e-CNY wallet operating institutions or their Hong Kong subsidiary.
¹ Currently, there are four e-CNY wallet operating institutions. Each mobile number can be used to set up a wallet with each of these four operating institutions and users can make their own decision.

² Applicable to physical stores including chain retail stores, restaurants, supermarkets and some online shops.

Related Information

Press Release(s)

Last revision date : 17 May 2024