Brussels, 26 June 2014 – Swift’s RMB Tracker shows that the RMB is now the second most used currency for cross border payments with China and Hong Kong. In May 2014, 12% of cross border payments with China and Hong Kong were done using the RMB, up 36% from one year ago. The US Dollar remains in the top position, with the Hong Kong Dollar following close behind the RMB for payments to China and Hong Kong.
“Hong Kong has the most-established and largest RMB corridor with mainland China, but as other financial centres, such as London, Singapore and Frankfurt, establish the necessary infrastructure and agreements to support RMB transactions, we will see the RMB grow significantly in these markets,” says, Alain Raes, Chief Executive, Asia Pacific & EMEA, Swift.
The latest Swift RMB Tracker comes on the heels of two key announcements related to RMB clearing in Europe. On 19 June, China Construction Bank (London branch) was named the clearing bank for offshore RMB in London. On the same day, the Bank of China (Frankfurt branch) became the first institution in the Eurozone allowed to clear payments in the RMB. The Bank of China is also the clearing bank for the RMB in Hong Kong, Macau and Taipei, while the mandate in Singapore belongs to the Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd.
Raes adds, “Creating these hubs in Frankfurt and London to support RMB trading will promote greater use of the currency for global trade and finance across the region. As the use of the RMB grows, we expect more market centres to take notice of the RMB as a world payments currency.”
Overall, the RMB held its position as seventh most used global payments currency and accounted for 1.47% of global payments, up from 1.43% in April 2014. At a global level, all currencies decreased in value by 0.7% in the same month.
About Swift
Swift is a member-owned cooperative that provides the communications platform, products and services to connect more than 10,500 banking organisations, securities institutions and corporate customers in 215 countries and territories. Swift enables its users to exchange automated, standardised financial information securely and reliably, thereby lowering costs, reducing operational risk and eliminating operational inefficiencies. Swift also brings the financial community together to work collaboratively to shape market practice, define standards and debate issues of mutual interest.
For more information about Swift, please visit www.swift.com or follow us on Twitter: @swiftcommunity and LinkedIn: Swift.
About Swift RMB Tracker & RMB Internationalisation
Launched in September 2011, the Swift RMB Tracker provides monthly reporting on key statistics to understand the progress made by RMB towards becoming an international currency. To register for the RMB Tracker in English, Traditional or Simplified Chinese, visit swift.com (select ‘Banks on Swift’) or e-mail swiftforbanks@swift.com.
For more information about RMB Internationalisation, please visit www.swift.com/products/renminbi/overview/ or join our new ‘Business Intelligence Transaction Banking’ LinkedIn group!
Disclaimer:
The free Swift RMB Tracker provides a monthly report on key statistics available only from Swift, which helps you track and understand how the RMB is being used across geographies and financial sectors. It is based on facts and should not be seen as providing any recommendation or opinion on the evolution of the market.
