Macanese pataca


The Macau pataca or Macanese pataca is the currency of Macau. It is subdivided into 100 avos, with 10 avos called ho in Cantonese. The abbreviation MOP$ is commonly used.
Macau has a currency board system under which the legal tender, Macau pataca, is 100 percent backed by foreign exchange reserves, in this case currently the Hong Kong dollar. Moreover, the currency board, Monetary Authority of Macau, has a statutory obligation to issue and redeem Macau pataca on demand against the Hong Kong dollar at a fixed exchange rate of HK$1 = MOP$1.03, and without limit.

History

The pataca was introduced in Portuguese Macau and Portuguese Timor in the year 1894, but only as a unit of account. The unit initially corresponded to the Mexican Peso, and it replaced the Portuguese real at a rate of 1 pataca = 450 réis. The name pataca derives from the fact that the Portuguese always referred to the Mexican Peso as the pataca mexicana.
At the end of the nineteenth century, there was no single currency in use in Macau, but the predominant circulating coins were the silver Mexican dollars, the British silver trade dollars of Hong Kong and the Straits Settlements, as well as the silver dollars and fractional coinage of the neighbouring province of Canton. In 1901, it was decided to have a uniquely Macau currency, and for that purpose, the Banco Nacional Ultramarino was granted exclusive rights to issue legal tender banknotes that were to be denominated in patacas. On January 27, 1906, pataca notes in denominations of 1, 5, 50 and 100 were introduced and all foreign coinage was outlawed, the idea being to make the pataca paper notes the sole legal tender currency in Macau. However, the Chinese, being so accustomed to using silver for barter, were suspicious of this new paper money, and as such, the paper pataca always circulated at a discount in relation to the silver dollar coins. On the contrary, a similar action at exactly the same time in the Straits Settlements, and for the same purpose, had the different effect of putting the new Straits dollar into the gold exchange standard. Hence both the Macau pataca and the Straits dollar were launched at a sterling value of 2 shillings and 4 pence, but where the Straits dollar remained at that value until the 1960s, the Macau pataca fluctuated with the value of silver, just like the Hong Kong unit.
In 1935, when Hong Kong and China abandoned the silver standard, the Hong Kong unit was pegged to sterling at a rate of 1 shilling and 3 pence, while the Macau pataca was pegged to the Portuguese escudo at a rate of 5.5 escudos. This meant that the Macau pataca was worth only 1 shilling sterling and was therefore at a discount of 3 pence sterling in relation to the Hong Kong unit.
The first exclusively Macau coinage was not introduced until the year 1952, which happened to be the year after the last pataca fractional coins were minted for East Timor. In that year in Macau, denominations below 10 patacas were replaced by coins.
Date established1 pataca =
18941 Mexican peso
19355.5 Portuguese escudos
19495 Portuguese escudos
19674.75 Portuguese escudos
19735.015 Portuguese escudos
1 Hong Kong dollar =
19771.075 patacas
19781.0025 patacas
19791.0425 patacas
19831.03 patacas

In 1980, the Macau government set up the Issuing Institute of Macau, which was given the monopoly right to issue pataca notes. The BNU became the IEM's agent bank and continued to issue banknotes. On agreement with the BNU on October 16, 1995, the Macau branch of Bank of China became the second note-issuing bank. The authority to issue patacas was transferred to the Monetary Authority of Macau.

Coins

Coins were not issued for use in Macau until 1952, with the 20 cent coin of Canton Province circulating. In 1952, bronze 5 and 10 avos, cupro-nickel 50 avos and.720 fineness silver 1 and 5 patacas were introduced. Nickel-brass replaced bronze in 1967, including the last issue of 5 avos. Nickel replaced silver in the 1 pataca in 1968. In 1971, a final silver issue of 5 patacas was produced.
Brass 10, 20 and 50 avos and cupro-nickel 1 and 5 patacas were introduced in 1982. The 20 avos and 5 patacas became dodecagonal in 1993 and 1992, respectively, whilst a bimetallic 10 patacas was introduced in 1997 and a cupronickel 2 patacas in 1998. Coins are issued by the Monetary Authority of Macau.

Banknotes

In a similar arrangement to the issue of banknotes in Hong Kong, Macau's banknotes are not issued by a central bank or monetary authority but by two commercial banks, the Banco Nacional Ultramarino and the Bank of China. Owing to Macau's Portuguese colonial past, banknotes are printed in Portuguese as well as Chinese, including the name of the Bank of China which is written as both "Banco da China" and "中國銀行".
Following the initial issues of pataca banknotes in 1906, the new currency was supplemented the following year by 10 and 25 pataca notes, and in February 1920, 5, 10 and 50 avo notes were added. In 1923, the Banco Vui Hang introduced 10 pataca notes which stated that they were backed by Cantonese 20 cent coins. These notes were followed until 1934 by cashier's cheques issued by various banks in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1000 dollars, presumably equivalent to the pataca. The BNU issues were augmented by 1 and 20 avo notes in 1942, and in 1944, 500 pataca notes were introduced. Also in 1944, further cashier's cheques were issued, denominated 1000 yuan and NC$5000. The 25 pataca note was discontinued after 1958.
On August 8, 1988, BNU issued a 1000 pataca banknote, the highest value banknote yet. Because 8 in Chinese is similar to "getting rich", this unique date, which occurs only once per century, gives the note a special meaning. Another feature is the replacement of the Coat of arms of Portugal with BNU's logo, shedding a political symbol in the prospect of reunification with China. In 1995, the Banco da China introduced notes in denominations of 10, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 patacas. Both the BNU and Banco da China introduced 20 pataca notes in 1996.

Current issue

Banknotes are currently issued in denominations of 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 patacas. The current series of BNU banknotes was issued in 2005, while the Bank of China notes were last issued between 1995 and 2003. The dimensions of the banknotes are the same as that of Hong Kong banknotes worth the corresponding number of dollars. On December 20, 1999, the day Macau was retroceded to China, banknotes of all values by both banks were reissued with that date. On January 5, 2009, the Monetary Authority of Macau announced a new series of banknotes, dated 2008, released by the Bank of China.

Commemorative issues

In 2008, the Macau branch of the Bank of China issued four million 20 pataca banknotes in commemoration of the 29th Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.
In 2012, the Banco Nacional Ultramarino and Banco da China issued ten million 10 pataca banknotes to commemorate the Year of the Dragon, and from 2012–2023, the Banco National Ultramarino and the Banco da China are each authorized to issue a maximum number of 20 million special notes with the face value of 10 patacas to mark each lunar new year. The Bank of China also issued a 100 pataca banknote to commemorate its centennial anniversary.
In commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the transfer of Macau to the People's Republic of China, the Banco Nacional Ultramarino and the Banco da China issued five million 20 patacas banknotes. The front side of the notes feature the 7-ton gilded bronze sculpture "Lotus Flower In Full Bloom", representing the prosperity of Macau. The back side of the notes feature the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.

Historical exchange rate

Despite the fact that the pataca is the official currency of Macau, most of the money in circulation in the Region is actually Hong Kong dollars. Patacas accounted for only 29.9% of Macau's money supply at the end of 1998.
The exchange rate is pegged and is approximately MOP$1.03 for HK$1. For United States dollars, to which the Hong Kong dollar is in turn loosely pegged, the exchange rate is around 8 patacas to 1 US dollar. Although it is possible to exchange patacas in Macau, it is either difficult or impossible to do so elsewhere. The few places in Hong Kong where patacas are available are concentrated on Cleverly Street in Central, a short distance from the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal.
Although the pataca is the legal tender of Macau, the Hong Kong dollar is almost universally acceptable in the Region, and in some cases, is preferred to the Pataca. Circulation of the pataca is mandated by a decree prohibiting refusal by merchants, but some casinos flout this rule and refuse bets in patacas. The Hong Kong dollar and Chinese yuan are generally accepted throughout Macau from casinos to restaurants. Payments to government agencies can also be made in both Hong Kong dollars and patacas.
As Macau currently imposes no restrictions on the import or export of local or foreign currency, visitors can change their currency in hotels, banks and bureaux de change located all around the city including 24 hour currency exchange booths at Macau International Airport and at the Lisboa Hotel for customers if they want to change their currency into patacas outside working hours.
Year20022003200420052006200720082009
Hong Kong dollar1.031.031.031.031.031.031.031.03
Chinese yuan0.97060.96910.96930.97781.00251.05601.15461.1688
United States dollar8.03348.02148.02268.01098.00068.03608.02067.9842
British Pound12.076613.104014.691114.582014.699316.088714.896512.5159
Taiwan dollar0.23280.23320.24010.24940.24620.24470.25480.2418
Euro7.59849.06969.96459.972110.027211.004911.809211.1309
Australian dollar4.37035.22715.90216.10646.01696.73516.85526.3269
Korean won0.00650.00670.00700.00780.00840.00870.00740.0063
Japanese yen0.06430.06920.07420.07290.06890.06830.07760.0854
Malaysian ringgit2.11412.11092.11122.11552.17972.33742.41242.2669
New Zealand dollar3.73064.66715.32145.64365.18895.91285.73415.0721
Singapore dollar4.48934.60344.74524.81375.02945.33255.67885.4955
Swiss franc5.18125.96326.45726.44246.38016.69987.43267.3721

Year199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001
Hong Kong dollar1.031.031.031.031.031.031.031.031.031.031.031.03
Portuguese escudo0.05640.05550.05930.04970.04810.05320.05170.04560.04430.04250.03700.0359
German mark4.97504.83625.12214.81994.92255.56775.29774.60494.53814.36013.79293.6794
French franc1.47671.42221.51151.40761.43921.59881.55831.36791.35371.30001.13091.0971
United States dollar8.02308.00417.97237.96797.96027.96797.96647.97497.97887.99188.02608.0335
British Pound14.323914.142114.099811.963812.198212.576612.439213.070913.220312.928412.166311.5698
Chinese yuan0.96200.96370.96540.96950.9706
Taiwan dollar0.27880.23840.24770.25740.2379
Euro9.01778.95328.52777.41837.1962
Australian dollar5.93415.02035.15744.67394.1598
Korean won0.00860.00570.00670.00710.0062
Japanese yen0.06610.06110.07040.07450.0662
Malaysian ringgit2.89542.03872.10312.11212.1141
New Zealand dollar5.28494.28164.23153.66843.3813
Singapore dollar5.38514.77204.71604.65534.4867
Swiss franc5.50205.50905.32784.75904.7638

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