MACAO, June 1 (Xinhua) -- A high-level seminar on the development of central bank digital currencies and their cross-border applications between China and Portuguese-speaking countries was held in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) on Monday, bringing together officials and experts to discuss pathways for cooperation in digital finance.
According to the organizer, the Monetary Authority of Macao (AMCM), the seminar brought together around 250 attendees, ranging from central bank officials and government representatives to financial industry leaders, experts, and scholars from the Chinese mainland, six Portuguese-speaking countries, Hong Kong SAR, the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, and Macao SAR.
Speaking at the event, Vong Sin Man, chairman of the board of directors of the AMCM, said the SAR government is steadily advancing the development of the digital pataca, or e-MOP. He noted that the project aligns with Macao's role as a platform linking China and Portuguese-speaking countries, helping facilitate cross-border financial services and deepen practical cooperation in digital finance.
Lu Lei, deputy governor of the People's Bank of China (PBOC), said he expects stronger connectivity between the digital pataca system and the PBOC-developed cross-border transfer service. Such cooperation will provide a more transparent, secure, efficient, and low-cost currency and payment connectivity channel to facilitate economic and trade exchanges. ■
