To date, over 30,000 Macao residents have regularly performed cross-border payments in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin. This follows the official expansion of a dual-currency payment service to six major commercial districts, allowing residents to shop using Macao Patacas (MOP) as effortlessly as they do in Macao.
This seamless switch is powered by a "one machine, one code" architecture. This unified system allows a single QR code or terminal to process various Macao-based e-wallets, such as MPay, alongside mainstream mainland mobile payment tools.
For Macao residents, it means they can continue using familiar digital wallets without worrying about exchange rates or manually transferring funds to mainland applications. For merchants, this eliminates the need for multiple devices and complex currency conversions, ensuring rapid response times.
This payment innovation is part of a broader financial strategy to make Hengqin a true "new home" for Macao residents. Beyond daily retail, the cooperation zone has streamlined major life transitions, including housing and transportation.
For instance, residents in the Macao New Neighborhood can now transfer funds directly from Macao to mainland developers with same-day arrival. This streamlined process has already facilitated over 1.34 billion yuan in property payments, further cementing the deep integration between the two regions.
This began as a targeted pilot program in the Macao New Neighborhood (MNN) residential project in September 2024, and rapidly evolved into a district-wide standard. The impact of this expansion was clearly visible during the 2025 National Day holiday, where the Huafa City Hub saw a daily average of 60,000 visitors, and Legend Ponto Square welcomed 42,000.
By December 2025, the average monthly volume of MOP-denominated transactions exceeded 1,800, proving that this seamless connection is fundamentally reshaping the local consumption ecosystem.
Reporter | Guo Chuhua
Photo | Hengqin Online
