At a high-level conference on central bank digital currencies and cross-border applications between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, the Monetary Authority of Macao announced that it has completed Macao’s connection to the mBridge platform and will open it to local banks on 2 June, with 11 banks as the first participants. The authority also said the Digital Pataca has entered sandbox testing, making cross-border payments and digital currency cooperation the main operational focus of the event. The next phase of Digital Pataca testing will expand to e-government, public transport and school campus use cases, and related technology will also be used to improve clearing and settlement efficiency for Simple Pay. In conference remarks, People’s Bank of China Vice Governor Lu Lei said Macau’s participation in mBridge and progress on the Digital Pataca could support a future link with the CBETS cross-border settlement platform, while Bank of Portugal outlined current digital euro design features including privacy protection, holding limits, non-remuneration and online and offline use.
Monetary Authority of Macao2026-06-01
Monetary Authority of Macao completes mBridge connection and sets 2 June launch for 11 local banks
The Monetary Authority of Macao announced completion of Macao’s connection to the mBridge platform, which will open to 11 local banks on 2 June, and confirmed that the Digital Pataca has entered sandbox testing focused on cross-border payments and digital currency cooperation. The next phase will extend Digital Pataca use cases to e-government, public transport and school campuses, and apply related technology to enhance Simple Pay clearing and settlement. The People’s Bank of China highlighted potential future linkage with the CBETS cross-border settlement platform, while the Bank of Portugal outlined key digital euro design features including privacy safeguards, holding limits, non-remuneration and online and offline usability.