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RMB Continues to Penetrate the South African MarketHONG KONG, Aug. 24, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- SWIFT data shows that Renminbi (RMB) usage in payments in South Africa increased by 65% over the last 12 months and by 112% in the last two years, moving the country from position #30 in July 2014, to #24 in July 2016. Excluding domestic traffic, RMB payment messages increased in volume by 70% in the last 12 months. In addition, nearly 40% of RMB payments by South African institutions have been offshore payments exchanged with countries other than mainland China and Hong Kong, compared to 16% in July 2015. 
 "South Africa has experienced a major shift in RMB growth over the last two years, strengthening the country's trade relations with mainland China and Hong Kong," says Harry Newman, Head of Banking, SWIFT. "The establishment of an RMB clearing centre in South Africa in July 2015, as well as Singapore's increased use of the RMB for payments with South Africa, have been a catalyst for RMB growth in the region." During the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, held in Johannesburg in December 2015, China and representatives from 50 African countries agreed to actively implement a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Promotion of China-Africa Cooperation in the area of infrastructure (fields of railway, highway, regional aviation networks and industrialisation). They will give priority to encourage Chinese businesses and financial institutions to expand investment through various means, such as Public-Private Partnerships (PPP)[1]. This MoU will increase the commercial exchanges between China and the African continent and should positively impact RMB volumes in the future. In July 2016, the RMB bounced back to its position as the fifth most active currency for global payments by value with a share of 1.90%, a slight increase from 1.72% in June 2016. Overall RMB paymets value decreased by 0.68% compared to June 2016, whilst in general all payments currencies decreased by 10.08%. [1] Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/zxxx_662805/t1323159.shtml About SWIFT and RMB Internationalisation The SWIFT network fully supports global RMB transactions, and its messaging services enable Chinese character transportation via Chinese Commercial Code (CCC) in FIN or via Chinese characters in MX (ISO 20022 messages). It offers a suite of dedicated RMB business intelligence products and services to support financial institutions and corporates. In addition, SWIFT collaborates with the community to publish the Offshore and Cross-Border RMB Best Practice Guidelines, which facilitate standardised RMB back office operations. Please click here for more information about RMB Internationalisation or join our new 'Business Intelligence Transaction Banking' LinkedIn group. About SWIFT India For more information, please refer to our website www.swiftindia.org.in. About SWIFT We provide our community with a platform for messaging and standards for communicating, and we offer products and services to facilitate access and integration, identification, analysis and financial crime compliance. Our messaging platform, products and services connect more than 11,000 banking and securities organisations, market infrastructures and corporate customers in more than 200 countries and territories, enabling them to communicate securely and exchange standardised financial messages in a reliable way. As their trusted provider, we facilitate global and local financial flows, support trade and commerce all around the world; we relentlessly pursue operational excellence and continually seek ways to lower costs, reduce risks and eliminate operational inefficiencies. Headquartered in Belgium, SWIFT's international governance and oversight reinforces the neutral, global character of its cooperative structure. SWIFT's global office network ensures an active presence in all the major financial centres. For more information, visit www.swift.com or follow us on Twitter: @swiftcommunity and LinkedIn: SWIFT Contacts: Disclaimer Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20160823/8521605321-a 
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