Wednesday, August 19, 2026 - The Chinese yuan has weakened, with the USD/CNY pair reaching a seven-month high due to a weak midpoint fix by the People's Bank of China and trade tensions. The yuan has also risen sharply against the dollar, driven by the unwinding of carry trades and a shift from U.S. assets to Asia. Additionally, China's central bank is promoting the international use of the digital yuan to develop a multi-polar global currency system.
| 1 $ = | Start | 08/25/2026 | Change | |
| Last 24 hours | 6.7213 元 or ¥ | ⇨ | 6.7222 元 or ¥ | +0.01% |
| Last week | 6.7407 元 or ¥ | ⇨ | 6.7222 元 or ¥ | -0.27% |
| Last month | 6.7721 元 or ¥ | ⇨ | 6.7222 元 or ¥ | -0.74% |
| Last year | 7.1677 元 or ¥ | ⇨ | 6.7222 元 or ¥ | -6.22% |
| Currency | 08/18/2026 | 08/25/2026 | Change | |
| Zambian Kwacha (ZMW) | 18.678 ZK | ⇨ | 19.05 ZK | +1.99% |
| Venezuelan Bolívar (VES) | 771.58 Bs. | ⇨ | 783.68 Bs. | +1.57% |
| Argentine Peso (ARS) | 1,493.5 $ | ⇨ | 1,511 $ | +1.17% |
| Costa Rican Colón (CRC) | 449.28 ₡ | ⇨ | 453.82 ₡ | +1.01% |
| Ghanaian Cedi (GHS) | 11.052 ₵ | ⇨ | 11.154 ₵ | +0.92% |
| Icelandic Krona (ISK) | 122.76 kr | ⇨ | 120.98 kr | -1.45% |
| New Zealand Dollar (NZD) | 1.7005 NZ$ | ⇨ | 1.675 NZ$ | -1.5% |
| South African Rand (ZAR) | 16.249 R | ⇨ | 15.947 R | -1.86% |
| South Korean Won (KRW) | 1,411.3 ₩ | ⇨ | 1,383.7 ₩ | -1.96% |
| Hungarian Forint (HUF) | 315.87 Ft | ⇨ | 309.47 Ft | -2.02% |
| See also: 24h, monthly and yearly currency moves | ||||
| Currency name | Chinese Yuan |
| Symbol | 元 or ¥ |
| Also known as | CNY, Renminbi (RMB), Yuan, ¥1 = 10 jiao = 100 fen |
| ISO code | CNY |
| Banknotes | ¥1, ¥5, ¥10, ¥20, ¥50, ¥100 |
| Coins | ¥0.1, ¥0.5, ¥1 |
| Central bank | People's Bank of China (PBOC) - Website: www.pbc.gov.cn |
| Countries | 1 country: China (capital: Beijing, major cities: Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou) |
| Population | 1,400 mil. |
History
The history of Chinese money stretches back nearly 3,000 years to the Neolithic era. The earliest forms of currency were cowrie shells, which served as money in the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC). Bronze cast coins — the characteristic round coins with square holes — appeared during the Zhou dynasty and remained in use for over two millennia.
China is widely credited with inventing paper money. During the Tang dynasty (7th century), merchants began depositing heavy copper coins with trusted agents and receiving paper receipts; by the Song dynasty (10th–13th century) the government was issuing standardised paper notes called jiaozi. Marco Polo's accounts of China's paper money astonished European readers who could not conceive of money without intrinsic metal value.
The modern yuan renminbi (CNY/RMB) — meaning "people's currency" — was introduced by the People's Republic of China in 1949, replacing the old gold yuan at massive ratios following hyperinflation under the Nationalist government. A fixed exchange rate of 2.46 yuan per US dollar was set in 1955.
After decades of a tightly managed peg, China revalued the yuan by 2.1% in July 2005 and announced it would trade in a narrow band against a basket of currencies. Gradual appreciation followed. In 2016, the yuan was included in the IMF's Special Drawing Rights basket, officially recognising it as a global reserve currency. The People's Bank of China manages the yuan within a daily trading band set against the US dollar.
Sources:
"History of Chinese currency", Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Chinese_currency
"Renminbi", Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renminbi