According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, the composite interest rates of Macao’s banking sector for the pataca (MOP) and the Hong Kong dollar (HKD) registered decreases in the first quarter of 2021.
At end-March 2021, the composite interest rates for MOP and HKD fell 9 basis points and 14 basis points, from 0.66% and 1.07% at end-December 2020 to 0.56% and 0.93% respectively, reflecting a general decline in funding costs of the local banking sector during the first quarter of 2021.
Macao’s composite interest rates are the weighted average interest rates of all interest-bearing liabilities and non-interest-bearing demand deposits on local banks’ books. These statistical indicators facilitate the financial sector to closely track movements in domestic funding costs.