China’s Digital Yuan Marks First Cross-Border Retail Payment in Laos
China's central bank digital currency (CBDC) has achieved a milestone with its first international retail transaction in Laos. The People's Bank of China and Bank of Laos collaborated to enable QR-based payments for Chinese tourists, eliminating foreign exchange requirements. Merchants can accept digital yuan without hardware upgrades.
The pilot expands the digital yuan's domestic testing since 2019 into cross-border commerce. From January 2026, Chinese banks will offer interest on digital yuan deposits, redefining it as digital deposit money rather than just digital cash. Deposit insurance protections will now cover the CBDC equivalently to traditional bank accounts.