Money doesn’t become geopolitical overnight.

It becomes geopolitical when the rails start to change.

In this episode of MoneyNeverSleeps, Pete Townsend is joined by Sean Lee for a focused conversation on what China is really building with the digital yuan and why this moment is about infrastructure, not currency replacement.

Drawing on recent meetings with the People’s Bank of China, Sean explains how the digital yuan is moving beyond a domestic CBDC experiment toward offshore settlement, trade finance, and geopolitical optionality. Rather than replacing the dollar, China appears to be building parallel rails designed to keep trade moving in a more fragmented world.

This is not a CBDC hype episode. It’s a grounded discussion about trade, trust, gold, and how digital infrastructure reshapes global money flows.

We cover:
• Why the digital yuan is shifting from onshore use to offshore settlement
• How trade, geopolitics, and optionality are driving new money rails
• Why gold still matters in a digital financial system
• Where stablecoins, CBDCs, and tokenised deposits coexist
• What founders should be building for as interoperability becomes multi-dimensional

If you’re a founder, operator, or investor trying to understand where global finance is actually heading beyond headlines and hype, this episode is worth your time.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – The next money rails
01:00 – From domestic CBDC to offshore settlement
02:40 – Trade, geopolitics, and optionality
04:00 – Incentives vs mandates
05:00 – Gold, trade flows, and Asia’s role
07:30 – Digital RMB and new denominations
09:00 – Gold-backed stablecoins and layered money
10:30 – Stablecoins, CBDCs, and tokenised deposits
11:45 – What founders should focus on next
13:30 – Closing thoughts

🔗 Connect with Sean Lee

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-lee-4b7a98/
X: https://x.com/CryptoSeanLee

🔔 Subscribe for moreMoneyNeverSleeps breaks down one big idea each week in under 15 minutes, with founders, operators, and investors shaping crypto, fintech, AI, and onchain finance.🌐 https://www.moneyneversleeps.ie/

Hosted by Pete Townsend.