The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) is looking for blockchain experts and developers to ramp up its efforts to develop official digital currency for the country announced earlier this year.

According to Shanghai Daily, the PBoC’s institute of printing science is seeking to fill six positions for the design and development of digital currency-related software and hardware framework, a recruitment notice said. The notice said that preference will be given to candidates with experience in blockchain and Big Data technologies.

In addition, the recruitment notice also said that the required qualification for the candidates include master’s or doctoral degree in computer science, information security and cryptography.

In January 2016, the PBoC’s Digital Currency Seminar was held in Beijing, which was attended by Governor Zhou Xiaochuan, Deputy Governor Chair Fan YiFei, major financial institutions and advisory bodies of experts. The minutes of the meeting revealed that the bank is interested in developing its own digital currency.

A special research team was set up in 2014 to explore the various aspects of digital currency – the key technology behind it, legal issues associated with it, impact on economic and financial system. The January meeting urged the research team to “actively absorb the important results and practical experience of digital currency research at home and abroad” and “clarify the strategic objectives of the central bank issued digital currency”.

"The team ... should set up a clearer strategic target for launching digital currencies, overcome the key technological barriers ... and aim for an early launch of the central bank's digital currencies," the PBoC said.

In an interview with Caixin, Governor Xiaochuan said that the central bank has not decided the timeframe for the launch of digital currency. He said that currently the bank’s goal of issuing digital currency is to replace the physical cash so as to lower the costs of issuing and circulating traditional paper money and to improve the convenience.

“The central bank will fully consider the current monetary policy framework, money supply and creation mechanism and monetary policy transmission channels in designing digital currency”, Xiaochuan added.