A key change at the start of the new year—starting from January 1st, the digital RMB wallet balance can begin accruing interest. Once this news was announced, many people became curious: how exactly is this achieved?

The key lies in the underlying architecture of the digital RMB. Some industry experts point out that digital RMB does not use blockchain technology but is based on a newly designed account system. The central bank and commercial banks jointly maintain "the same ledger," and this system incorporates smart contracts to enable programmability. Although these smart contracts have similar functions (supporting targeted payments, automatic execution, etc.), they are fundamentally different from on-chain contracts built on blockchain like Ethereum.

However, there is a prerequisite for interest calculation—the wallet must be real-name verified. Specifically, first, second, and third-class wallets can accrue interest, but fourth-class non-real-name wallets cannot participate, mainly because their true ownership cannot be verified.

Looking ahead, after January 1st, participating commercial banks, WeChat, Alipay, and other payment platforms will gradually gain the authority to open digital RMB wallets. This means more channels for account opening and accelerated ecosystem integration. In simple terms, digital RMB is gradually moving from the pilot phase toward broader application and implementation.