The Monetary Authority of Macao has officially activated mBridge in Macao, enabling cross-border transactions on the multilateral central bank digital currency platform after joining it earlier this year. On the first day of live operation, three of the 11 initially approved participating banks completed 23 cross-border transactions covering trade settlement and international remittances. Bank of China (Macau), S.A. Macau Branch, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Macau), S.A. and Bank of Communications Co., Ltd. Macau Branch carried out the initial transactions. These involved mainland China, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates, with a total value equivalent to nearly MOP13 billion. The authority said the system operated stably on day one, while the other eight participating banks are continuing preparations and are expected to complete implementation of their operations in the near future. mBridge is based on central bank digital currencies and distributed ledger technology and supports real-time peer-to-peer clearing and settlement between participating commercial banks. The Monetary Authority of Macao said it will next explore linking the digital pataca infrastructure with central bank digital currencies in other countries and regions, or with other international financial infrastructures. It said this is intended to broaden international cooperation links and strengthen the financial services platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
Monetary Authority of Macao2026-06-03
Monetary Authority of Macao activates mBridge as three banks complete 23 cross-border CBDC transactions worth nearly MOP13 billion
The Monetary Authority of Macao has activated mBridge, enabling participating banks to conduct cross-border transactions on the multilateral central bank digital currency platform. Three banks completed 23 trade settlement and remittance transactions on day one totaling nearly MOP13 billion involving mainland China, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates. The authority reported stable system performance and said the remaining eight banks are finalizing implementation. It plans to explore linking the digital pataca infrastructure with other central bank digital currencies or international financial infrastructures to broaden cooperation and strengthen Macao’s role as a financial services platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.