A draft of the China (Guangdong) Free Trade Zone Development 15th Five-Year
Plan, now open for comment, proposes widening financial opening and scaling
cross-border digital RMB pilots. The plan seeks to attract international
financial firms to set regional headquarters in the FTZ and accelerate Greater
Bay Area projects including international commercial banks and a Bay Area
insurance service center. It calls for expanding bulk commodity trading and
promoting futures–spot linkages for iron ore, crude oil and rubber to strengthen
commodity pricing influence. The draft would upgrade fintech regulatory pilots
and broaden digital RMB (e‑CNY) application scenarios, including expanding
cross-border e‑CNY payment and cross-border wealth-management pilots. It also
backs offshore and green-finance cross-border innovations, and encourages FTZ
banks to develop cross-border supply‑chain finance, IP‑pledge financing and
composite products. Finally, it proposes deepening pilots for cross-border
loan-asset transfers and unified multi-currency accounts to enhance cross-border
product recognition and connectivity.
