Chinese one-hundred yuan banknotes are arranged for a photograph in Hong Kong, China, on Thursday, April 23, 2020. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) has cut short- and medium-term rates recently on top of liquidity injections, loan rollovers and easier regulatory rules. Photographer: Paul Yeung/Bloomberg 
The yuan has seen its popularity as an international currency steadily climb in the last decade. Global funds boosted holdings of Chinese government bonds to a record last month, data show. The renminbi was ranked 35th in October 2010 when Swift, which handles cross-border payment messages for more than 11,000 financial institutions in 200 countries, started tracking.
The euro held its second-place ranking for a seventh month, but its total market share fell to an eight-month low at 37%. The pound followed in third, a spot it’s held since 2011, while the yen rounded out the top five.
| Current Rank | Currency | Dec. 2021 | Nov. | Oct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USD | 40.51% | 39.16% | 39.16% |
| 2 | EUR | 36.65% | 37.66% | 38.07% |
| 3 | GBP | 5.89% | 6.72% | 6.41% |
| 4 | CNY | 2.70% | 2.14% | 1.85% |
| 5 | JPY | 2.58% | 2.58% | 2.90% |