Recently, the People’s Bank of China held the 2026 Payment and Settlement Work Conference.
This meeting thoroughly studied and implemented the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee and the Central Economic Work Conference, strictly implemented the relevant requirements of the 2026 People’s Bank of China Work Conference, comprehensively summarized the payment and settlement work in 2025, deeply analyzed the current situation, and made detailed arrangements for key tasks in 2026.
Lu Lei, member of the Party Committee and Vice President of the People’s Bank of China, attended the meeting and delivered an important speech.
The meeting pointed out that since 2025, the payment line of the People’s Bank of China has achieved remarkable results in the payment field.
The regulations and systems in the payment field are constantly improving, which provides a solid legal guarantee for the healthy development of the payment industry.
At the same time, payment supervision and service levels have been steadily improved, effectively preventing payment risks and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of consumers.
In terms of cross-border payments, positive progress has been made in promoting the construction of a safe and efficient cross-border payment system, and important breakthroughs have been achieved in the interconnection of domestic and overseas payments, marking that the payment industry has entered a new stage of high-quality development.
For the payment and settlement work in 2026, the meeting put forward clear requirements.
First of all, we must closely focus on the “15th Five-Year Plan” and the goal of building a financial power to promote the high-quality development of the modern payment system.
Accelerating the construction of the RMB cross-border payment system is one of the key tasks, which will help enhance the status of the RMB in international payments and promote the facilitation of international trade and investment.
Promote cross-border payment interconnection and promote the diversified and multi-level development of the cross-border payment system, which can meet the needs of different market entities and improve the efficiency and security of cross-border payments.
Secondly, it is necessary to strictly implement penetrating supervision of payment institutions and supervision of payment business functions.
Give full play to the complementary roles of administration and self-discipline to create a healthy industry ecosystem with long-term compliance.
This will help standardize the order of the payment market, prevent irregularities by payment institutions, and ensure the stable operation of the payment industry.
In addition, it is necessary to optimize payment services on a regular and long-term basis and solidly promote inclusive payment.
By providing convenient and secure payment services, more people can enjoy the convenience of payment, especially in rural and remote areas, and promote the equalization of financial services.
At the same time, it is necessary to improve the service quality and efficiency of the payment system and promote the upgrading of the industry through innovation.
Utilize advanced technical means to continuously optimize the performance of the payment system, improve the speed and accuracy of payments, and inject new impetus into the development of the payment industry.
In short, the People’s Bank of China has clear goals and directions for payment and settlement work in 2026.
Accelerating the implementation of a series of measures such as the construction of a RMB cross-border payment system will bring new opportunities to the development of the payment industry and provide strong support for the construction of my country’s financial power.
