On June 2, 2026, a piece of major news in the financial field came. Macau took a landmark step in the field of digital currency cross-border payments.
On the same day, Macau officially opened local banks to participate in the “on-bridge” transactions of the Multilateral Central Bank Digital Currency Bridge (mBridge, referred to as “Currency Bridge”).
The Macau Branch of Bank of China Limited (hereinafter referred to as “BOC Macau”) worked closely with China National Petroleum Corporation to successfully implement Macau’s first “Currency Bridge” cross-border transaction, which marked Macau’s groundbreaking breakthrough from 0 to 1 in the field of digital currency cross-border payments.
It is understood that the first “bridge” transaction occurred between Hong Kong and Macao, with a transaction amount of more than 20 million yuan.
This move has effectively smoothed the channels for cross-border capital flows in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and significantly improved the efficiency of regional capital flows.
In the past, cross-border capital transactions may have faced many cumbersome procedures and long processing times, but the successful implementation of this “Currency Bridge” transaction has provided a new way for the rapid circulation of funds.
At the same time, BOC Macau also completed the first “currency bridge” cross-border payment from Macau to the United Arab Emirates, broadening circulation channels in the Middle East and releasing the cross-border value of digital finance.
This not only reflects Macao’s active exploration in the field of digital finance, but also provides broader space for enterprises to operate globally.
“Currency Bridge” is a multilateral central bank digital currency cross-border payment network based on distributed ledger technology jointly built by the People’s Bank of China, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the Macau Monetary Authority, the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates and the Bank of Thailand.
It supports point-to-point, real-time, low-cost cross-border settlement between jurisdictions participating in the project, which can improve cross-border payment efficiency and reduce reliance on the traditional agency bank model.
For enterprises, this means that they can obtain new payment infrastructure that is more efficient, secure, and low-cost, helping enterprises to better carry out international trade and investment activities.
As the operating agency for the first phase of the digital Macau Pataca project, Bank of China has also shown a positive attitude.
The bank stated that it will actively promote system docking, technology testing and business implementation, and rely on the group’s global advantages and comprehensive features to further expand the application of “Currency Bridge” in scenarios such as trade financing, fund management and cross-border e-commerce settlement, and promote the coordinated development of digital renminbi and digital Macau patacas.
Currently, a total of 11 local banks in Macau have become the first batch of “Currency Bridge” participating institutions, including Bank of China Co., Ltd. Macau Branch, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Macau) Co., Ltd., Agricultural Bank of China Co., Ltd. Macau Branch, etc.
The participation of these banks will inject new vitality into the development of digital finance in Macao and further promote Macao’s exploration and practice in the field of cross-border digital currency payments.
In the future, with the continuous expansion and improvement of the application scenarios of “Currency Bridge”, Macao is expected to achieve greater breakthroughs in the field of digital finance and make positive contributions to the development of the global financial market.
