The renminbi has retained its position as the fifth most active currency for global payments by value in February, with a share of 2.19 percent, according to Swift.

The renminbi's share was up from 1.91 percent a month earlier but down from 2.23 percent a year ago, the financial messaging services provider said in a report on Thursday.

The value of renminbi payments increased by 7.52 percent compared to January, while in general payments in all currencies decreased by 6.54 percent.

Meanwhile, the dollar, the euro, the British pound and the Japanese yen ranked as the top four in terms of payment value last month, accounting for 41.1 percent, 36.43 percent, 6.58 percent and 2.98 percent in global payments, respectively, the report said.