Russian Stocks End Mixed as MOEX Index Closes Flat Amid Commodity Strength 
Baidu Approves $5 Billion Share Buyback and Plans First-Ever Dividend in 2026 
Silver Prices Plunge in Asian Trade as Dollar Strength Triggers Fresh Precious Metals Sell-Off 
Amazon Stock Rebounds After Earnings as $200B Capex Plan Sparks AI Spending Debate 
Dollar Steadies Ahead of ECB and BoE Decisions as Markets Turn Risk-Off 
Asian Stocks Slip as Tech Rout Deepens, Japan Steadies Ahead of Election 
Trump’s Inflation Claims Clash With Voters’ Cost-of-Living Reality 
Missouri Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Starbucks’ Diversity and Inclusion Policies 
Japanese Pharmaceutical Stocks Slide as TrumpRx.gov Launch Sparks Market Concerns 
Gold Prices Slide Below $5,000 as Strong Dollar and Central Bank Outlook Weigh on Metals 
Alphabet’s Massive AI Spending Surge Signals Confidence in Google’s Growth Engine 
Instagram Outage Disrupts Thousands of U.S. Users 
Trump Signs Executive Order Threatening 25% Tariffs on Countries Trading With Iran 
Uber Ordered to Pay $8.5 Million in Bellwether Sexual Assault Lawsuit 
Bank of Japan Signals Readiness for Near-Term Rate Hike as Inflation Nears Target 
South Korea’s Weak Won Struggles as Retail Investors Pour Money Into U.S. Stocks 
Hims & Hers Halts Compounded Semaglutide Pill After FDA Warning 
China launched its own wallet app that was designed to hold the digital version of its local currency, which is the yuan. The pilot edition of the app has been revealed through the nation's central bank.
As per CNBC, China's wallet app for its digital yuan has been created in an effort to expand its usage and make it available to more people. Currently, it is downloadable on the Chinese Android app store and Apple's app store.
People who are using the app can now open their digital yuan wallet and spend the digital currency if they choose to. The Chinese digital currency has been called the e-CNY, and it was revealed to have been in the works since 2014.
It was clarified that this is not about blockchain because the currency is only the digital version of the sovereign money of China. In other words, it is not similar to bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, and it is being controlled by the People's Bank of China as well.
Prior to the official launch this week, it was reported that China also carried out numerous tests around the country for the digital wallet and yuan. One example of the trial was in the form of lotteries where small amounts of digital currency were distributed to some users for spending.
As part of the trial, the local e-commerce giant JD.com and other retailers have accepted the digital yuan as payment in the previous year. Then again, it was said that despite the announcement, China has not officially rolled out the digital yuan nationwide yet. At this time, only 10 locations, including Beijing and Shanghai, can use the new wallet app.
Moreover, the areas close to where the Beijing Winter Olympics is taking place are some of the locations where people can use the digital yuan. This upcoming winter sports event is set to be held at the Chinese capital. With its arrival, the e-CNY app is expected to face strong competition against digital payment app rivals, including Tencent's WeChat and Ant Group's Alipay.
Finally, Reuters reported that the e-CNY app was developed by the People's Bank of China's (PBOC) digital currency research institute. The national bank's Governor Yi Gang previously said that China would continue to work on further developing the country's digital currency to improve its usage.
