(CFP Photo)

Suzhou Professional Technicians Service Centre has recently charged fees for its certification service in the form of digital fiat currency, or e-CNY, according to the city’s Bureau of Finance.

This transaction made Suzhou the first prefecture-level city in China to expand e-CNY usage beyond tax payment purpose.

China has piloted the usage of e-CNY in regions including the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area, the Yangtze River Delta and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Suzhou is Jiangsu’s only prefecture-level city in the pilot program. The city’s Bureau of Finance has made active efforts this year to explore and expand the usage of e-CNY.

The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) has provided e-CNY payment service for the province’s unified payment platform for government services.

More banks including the Construction Bank of China, the Bank of China and the Agricultural Bank of China will join the program in Suzhou, helping more and more people complete transactions in everyday life in the form of e-CNY.