RMB now ranks 13th in the world payments currency list

It has already overtaken the Russian Rouble.

According to SWIFT’s latest RMB tracker, the RMB continues its ascension towards becoming a major international payments currency. In December 2012, the RMB was larger than the Danish Krone, South African Rand and New Zealand Dollar and has now overtaken the Russian Rouble to take position #13 as a world payments currency.

Here's more from SWIFT:

RMB payments grew in value by 171% between January 2012 and January 2013. The last month alone saw a 24% increase, versus 13% across all currencies, propelling it to an all-time high market share of 0.63%.

In the same year, the RUB grew by only 18% and lost 5.4% in the last month, making it drop to 0.56% market share (see chart ‘Chinese Renminbi overtakes Russian Rouble’).

“We’ll have to see if the drop in RUB is systemic” said Lisa O’Connor – global RMB director at SWIFT, “but it is clear that offshore centres like Hong Kong, London and Singapore are fuelling RMB payments.

RMB payments in Singapore grew by 123% year-on-year and by 33% in the last month. The recent appointment of ICBC as the RMB clearing bank in Singapore can only support that.

Given the acceleration of RMB payments it will be interesting to see if the RMB displaces the THB in coming months.