Chinese Yuan

The Chinese Yuan (CNY) is the official currency of People's Republic of China. With the symbol ¥, it is managed by the People's Bank of China (PBOC). The currency was introduced in 1948 and is subdivided into 100 Jiao, Fen. It's commonly known by its nickname "RMB, Kuai".

Rates updated Sep 21, 2026, 08:00 PM UTC. Over the last 90 days, 1 CNY ranged from 0.147 to 0.1494 USD (+1.59%).

Currency Name

Chinese Yuan

Currency Code

CNY

Symbol

¥

Country

People's Republic of China

Central Bank

People's Bank of China (PBOC)

Introduced

1948

Subunit

1/100 Jiao, Fen

ISO Numeric Code

156

The Chinese Yuan Renminbi was introduced in 1948 by the newly founded People's Bank of China. 'Renminbi' means 'people's currency' while 'yuan' refers to the primary unit. China has gradually liberalized its currency since economic reforms began in 1978.

The Yuan is increasingly important in global trade and finance as China has become the world's second-largest economy. It was added to the IMF's Special Drawing Rights basket in 2016, recognizing its growing international role.

While not fully convertible, the Yuan is increasingly used in international trade and is China's sole legal tender. The digital yuan (e-CNY) is being developed as one of the world's first central bank digital currencies.

• 1The largest denomination is the 100 yuan note featuring Mao Zedong
• 2China is developing a digital yuan (e-CNY)
• 3Renminbi means 'people's currency' in Mandarin