China’s currency is not as influential as once imagined

Chinese officials seem pleased with the yuan’s recent progress as a global currency. The international monetary system is diversifying at an accelerating pace, said Pan Gongsheng, the governor of China’s central bank, in March. The yuan has become the fourth-most active currency in global payments, he noted. In trade finance, it now ranks third. And according to the central bank’s data, about half of China’s transactions with the rest of the world (for financial assets, as well as goods) are now settled in yuan.

This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “Dropping anchor”