2.3 billion wallets, 16.7 trillion in transaction volume. The central bank announces: starting January 1, 2026, interest will be calculated at the current deposit rate and it will also be covered by deposit insurance.

Digital Renminbi is no longer just a payment tool; it is upgrading from cash to a deposit currency, offering interest, security, and backed by national credit.

Meanwhile, the year-end $BTC continuous gatekeeping has caused ongoing panic among retail investors.

Between these two, a positive competition is unfolding about "the future of money."

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Ten years of pilot programs have finally been finalized.

Digital Renminbi began development in 2014, with over ten years of pilot testing. Previously, it was positioned as cash, with no interest, which is normal—your banknotes don’t generate interest on their own.

But now, the central bank has decided to elevate it to the M1 level, with interest calculated at the current deposit rate and included in deposit insurance.

After reading this policy, my first reaction was: it’s not just a payment tool anymore; it’s about making you truly put your money in it.

2.3 billion wallets sound quite large, but with so many people having the app, how many actually use it? The central bank is probably well aware of this issue.

So the current strategy is: offer interest, provide security, and make it a place where money can stay.

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The same "digital currency"

The central bank pays interest, provides insurance, and is backed by national credit—steadily reassuring you.

As the year-end panic index in the crypto world reaches extreme levels, $BTC repeatedly gatekeeps, retail investors lose money in various ways, with news of wallets being hacked, margin calls, and reverse leverage flying everywhere.

This is the ultimate showdown of two paths.

CBDC: I offer you stability, compliance, and controllability. If you put your money with me, I guarantee you won’t go to zero.

The price is transparency and traceability. Every transaction’s origin and destination can be precisely defined.

Cryptocurrency is exactly the opposite: I offer you freedom, privacy, and resistance to censorship. You can transfer to anyone, and no one can control that.

The cost is volatility, project scams, hacking attacks—waking up one day to find your funds wiped out.

I believe behind this are two types of competition.

What the central bank wants may be more efficient monetary policy transmission, more precise fiscal regulation, and more transparent fund flow supervision. Digital Renminbi earning interest is just one step.

What the crypto world seeks is to break financial monopoly, achieve wealth freedom, and build a decentralized new order. $BTC and $ETH are each telling the same story.

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January 1, 2026, could be a watershed moment.

Digital Renminbi will start earning interest. For those who lost money in crypto, some may choose to switch to "capital preservation." Although the current deposit rate isn’t high, at least it won’t go to zero, and deposit insurance provides a safety net.

People who previously knew nothing about cryptocurrencies might accept Digital Renminbi because of the "interest" factor. For them, stability and returns are enough, and they won’t bother to learn about decentralization anymore.

But crypto believers will not waver. Their pursuit has never been just the small interest from current deposits but decentralization, wealth freedom, and the possibility of overnight riches.

This is the difference between two types of people: one seeks stability, the other bets on getting rich quickly.

CBDC and cryptocurrencies each serve their own beliefs.

I’m curious to see how you all will choose.