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.