China is rolling out its digital yuan at the Beijing Olympic Games.Credit:AP
Visitors can download an app or get a physical card that stores the digital yuan,or convert foreign bank notes into e-CNY at self-service machines,according to the Bank of China,a state lender and official partner of the games.
Athletes and their coaches are eligible to get wristbands that act as e-wallets and can be swiped to pay for goods or services.
Whether foreign athletes adopt the digital yuan remains to be seen given heightened political tensions around the games and worries over data risks. Three US Republican Senators in July called on the US Olympic Committee to forbid American athletes from using the digital yuan,citing espionage and data-security concerns.
On a recent morning at one of the BOC’s branches in the Olympic Village in Beijing,a promotional video played on loop on a big screen to showcase the electronic currency.
Convenience stores,cafes and other merchants inside the Olympic Village - where athletes will be living and spending their free time - are equipped with machines that take digital yuan payment,as well as shops at railway stations near the game venues.
Qu Songming,a manager of the operations team of the Olympic Village in Beijing,said payment will be restricted to only a few methods. Notably Alibaba Group’s Alipay and Tencent Holdings Ltd.’s WeChat Pay - which both support e-CNY - won’t be available at the village.
“The only payment methods are renminbi cash,Visa cards and the digital yuan at all of the competition and non-competition venues during the Olympics,” said Qu. Visa is a sponsor of the games.