China cuts durian settlement to 30 minutes with first outbound e-CNY payment to Malaysia

Deal advances Beijing’s push to expand the digital yuan through alternative cross-border clearing channels beyond Swift system The transaction, executed by China Construction Bank’s (CCB) Xiamen branch in coordination with its Labuan branch in Malaysia, enabled a local importer to pay directly in e-CNY, China’s central bank digital currency. The deal completed a bilateral digital-currency loop following an inbound trial in January. Traditional cross-border settlement has long been a key industry pain point for perishable tropical imports like durian, which are highly sensitive to processing speed and transaction costs. By contrast, the e-CNY bilateral mechanism slashed clearing times to 30 minutes via direct bank-to-bank ledger transfers, bypassing intermediary clearing banks and allowing overseas recipients to convert e-CNY directly into Malaysian ringgit without extra fees.

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