Macau, China, June 1, 2026 (Lusa) - The Monetary Authority of Macau (AMCM) announced on Monday that it has fully joined the mBridge project, a multilateral platform for central bank digital currencies that enables cross-border payments without using the US dollar.
Eleven local banks have been authorised to participate and will be able to carry out transactions “from tomorrow [Tuesday]”, said Lau Hang Kun, the territory’s monetary authority administrator, during a seminar on central bank digital currencies and cross-border applications held in Macau.
The mBridge, a multilateral platform for cross-border payments between central bank-issued digital currencies, was created jointly by the People’s Bank of China, the central banks and monetary authorities of Hong Kong, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates, and the Bank for International Settlements, known as the “central bank of central banks”.
Its aim is to create a method for testing international payments without the need for the US dollar as an intermediary, using centralised digital currencies directly between countries with real-time settlement.
Lau Hang Kun highlighted that joining the initiative marks “a new stage in Macau’s integration into the international digital financial system”.
Macau has been developing its own digital currency, the digital pataca, which entered a research phase in 2020 with the support of the Chinese central bank.
The initial development phase of the digital pataca was completed at the end of last year, with the local monetary authority stating that the underlying infrastructure had entered initial testing.
“We are expanding the application scenarios, including e-governance, public transport and schools, with a focus on security and financial inclusion,” said Lau.
According to her, the digital pataca is expected to enhance the efficiency of the local payment system, integrate with bank transfer services, and prepare Macau to “offer more competitive financial solutions”.
The AMCM is also working to create a legal framework and regulatory standards to ensure supervision and standardised operations once the currency enters circulation.
Lau also emphasised that Macau intends to use these initiatives to consolidate its role as a Sino-Portuguese financial hub.
“We want Macau not just to be a traditional bridge, but also an innovative hub for economic and financial cooperation in the digital age between China and Portuguese-speaking countries,” she said.
The project by the semi-autonomous Chinese city follows efforts by the Chinese government to create the digital yuan, the world’s first official central bank-issued digital currency, which is already in test in various cities across the country.
NCM/ADB // ADB.
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