SOURCE / ECONOMY
Shanghai offers digital currency payment on underground station vending machines
Published: Feb 23, 2021 10:44 PM

A vending machine in a Shanghai underground station allows customers to pay by digital yuan. Photo: Xie Jun/GT


Some vending machines in Shanghai's underground stations are allowing customers to purchase products using digital yuan, as Shanghai joins other cities running new pilot tests for the country's digital currency. 

The Global Times visited an underground station in Xujiahui, a commercial zone in Shanghai, on Tuesday, and saw that several vending machines have signals on their screens saying people can pay with digital yuan as well as other established methods such as WeChat and AliPay. 

When paying with digital yuan, people scan the QR code on the screen and make the payment with a mobile phone. Currently, the payment is only available for a limited number of trial customers. The Global Times didn't see any customers using digital yuan to purchase products from the machines. 

The vending machines are run by a Shanghai-based company. A representative from the company said he couldn't disclose any information because of "commercial cooperation" secrets. 

Shanghai, along with Beijing and South China's Guangdong Province have all made commitments to test the digital yuan, as China moves closer to launching a central bank digital currency, although a specific timetable for the launch has not yet been revealed. 

A resident in Shanghai told the Global Times that she is open to using the digital currency. "It will take some time for me to adapt to the new currency at first, but I am willing to give it a try," she said, adding that the existence of digital payment methods like AliPay won't stop her from trying the digital yuan.