...Macau, 中國银行 Banco Da China - 2020 Series ND2026 500 And 1000 Patacas

 中華人民共和國澳門特別行政區

(Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China)

 

中國银行

(Banco Da China / Bank of China, Est.1950)

Currency - Patacas (MOP)

 

 

Posted here are the final two notes of the current series first introduced on 01.02.2024:- 

01.02.2024 - 10 and 20 patacas both dated 18.05.2020;

20.01.2025 - 50 and 100 patacas both dated 18.05.2020; and

06.02.2026 - 500 and 1000 patacas both dated 18.05.2020.

 

The theme for this 2020 dated series is Southern Lion on the front (culture and heritage) and on the backs showcasing Macau's iconic landmarks and symbols. As expected, the design on the front is the same for all notes, except for the denomination values and signatures. This entire series is dated 18.05.2020. 

 

As there are two banknotes issuing authorities in Macau (Bank of China and Banco Nacional Ultramarino), each bank is allowed to issue up to the following quantities for these two denominations: -

 

500 Patacas - 24 million pieces; and

1000 Patacas - 12 million pieces

 

All notes issued since 2024 are dated 18.05.2020. However the signatures are not the same. The first two notes were signed by Li Guang, and the two notes issued in 2025 were signed by Jia Tianbing. These final two notes bear a different signature too. 

 

Five Hundred Patacas 

Front - Southern Lion (represents the spirit of Macau). Bank of China building in Macau. To the top right is an image of a lion head printed in optically variable ink (OVI). 

Director-Geral Da Sucursal de Macau - 范耀胜 Fan Yaosheng*

Date - 二零二零年五月十八日 (2020 year Fifth month 18th day)

Watermarks - Lotus flower and electrotype 500

Dimensions - 159mm x 79.9mm

Note* - I can't be sure, but I believe both notes bear the signature of Fan Yaosheng, who is a senior banking executive. He also serves as the General Manager/President of the Bank of China (Macau) Branch and Chairman of the Macau Banking Association from 2025. Previous General Manager was Jia Tianbing 賈天兵 and he left the position in 2025. This is unconfirmed yet. 

 

Back - It depicts the front entrance of the A-Ma temple 媽閣廟. The A-Ma temple has been appearing on Macau's banknotes issued by Bank Of China (Macau) since 1996 and those banknotes issued by Banco Nacional Ultramarino since 1945. This temple is located in Sao Lourenco in Macau Peninsula, which is the south-west of the peninsula. This temple was built in 1488. It is also one of the oldest temples in Macau, if not the oldest.

 

One Thousand Patacas

 

Front - Southern Lion (represents the spirit of Macau). Bank of China building in Macau. To the top right is an image of a lion head printed in optically variable ink (OVI). 

Director-Geral Da Sucursal de Macau - 范耀胜 Fan Yaosheng

Date - 二零二零年五月十八日 (2020 year Fifth month 18th day)

Watermarks - Lotus flower and electrotype 1000

Dimensions - 164mm x 82mm  

Back - On the back it depicts a Chinese chuan (船). The name 'Chuan' simply means 'boat' or 'ship', and it is also sometime referred to as 'fanchuan' (帆船). The word 'Fan' means Sail(ing). The Chinese have been building Fanchuan since the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Since then, the Chinese have used this type of ships and sailed as far as to the east coast of Africa. Later, East Asian countries, notably Japan, adopted such technology and built them as merchant ships to trade goods with China and Southeast Asia. To the western world, the Fanchuan is more commonly known as Chinese junk, a derogatory term/name that came from the Portuguese and Dutch.

 

...Macau, 中國银行 Banco Da China - 2020 Series ND2025

 中華人民共和國澳門特別行政區

(Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China)

 

中國银行

(Banco Da China / Bank of China, Est.1950)

Currency - Patacas (MOP)

 

Here are the two notes both released on 20.01.2025. These are the second phase of the 2020 series where the notes for 10 and 20 patacas were issued for circulation in early 2024. Traditionally, new banknotes are in demand before the new year and one would assume these were released to meet the public demand. The next two notes to be released are the 500 and 1000 patacas.

 

As there are two banknotes issuing authority in Macau (Bank of China and Banco Nacional Ultramarino), each bank is allowed to issue the following quantity: -

 

50 Patacsa - 50 million pieces; and

100 Patacas - 80 million pieces

 

The designs for this new series features Chinese traditional on the front, and on the back showcasing Macau's iconic landmarks and symbols. As expected, the design on the front is the same for both notes, except for the denomination values. This series is dated 18.05.2020.

 

All four notes issued since 2024 are all dated 18.05.2020. Whilst the most recent two notes are dated the same as the first two notes of 10 and 20 patacas, the General Manager of Macau Branch was only appointed to the role on 21/06/2024. The previous notes were signed by Mr Li Guang 李光 (tenure 2017-2024).

 

Fifty Patacas

 

Director-Geral Da Sucursal de Macau - 賈天兵 Jia Tianbing

Date - 二零二零年五月十八日 (2020 May 18th)

Watermarks - Lotus flower and electrotype 50

Dimensions - 150mm x 70mm

Front - Southern Lion (represents the spirit of Macau). Bank of China building in Macau. To the top right is an image of a lion head printed in optically variable ink (OVI).

 

Back - Kiang Wu History Museum. This museum is located within the Kiang Wu Hospital in Macau, which was established in 1989 by the Kiang Wu Hospital Charity Association. The Kiang Wu History Museum building was built in 1892 and was once used as a pharmacy owned by Dr Sun Yat-sen, the Father of modern China. The building was then acquired by the Macau government in 2011. This museum is located at 58-68 Rua de Coelho do Amaral, Macau. Admission is free and open every day except Saturday and public holidays. Also printed in the background is a larger building. However, I am unable to say which or the name of this building. I have a feeling that it might be related to Kiang Wu Hospital.
 

One Hundred Patacas

 

Director-Geral Da Sucursal de Macau - 賈天兵 Jia Tianbing

Date - 二零二零年五月十八日 (2020 May 18th)

Watermarks - Lotus flower and electrotype 100

Dimensions - 154mm x 77.5mm 

 

Front - Southern Lion (represents the spirit of Macau). Bank of China building in Macau. To the top right is an image of a lion head printed in optically variable ink (OVI).

 

Back - Tung Sin Tong Historical Archive Exhibition Hall. The building that housed Tung Sin Tong Historical Archive Exhibition Hall was built in 1924 and served as a free school, clinic and medication center. The exhibition hall was opened to the public in 2012. In 2012, Tung Sin Tong celebrated 120 years of its establishment and decided to open it's historical archives exhibition to the public. This museum is open every day except on Tuesday and Macau's public holidays. Admission is free. To the left is an image of a tree.
 

...Macau, Bank of China - 2020(2024) Series

中華人民共和國澳門特別行政區

(Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China)

 

中國银行

(Banco Da China / Bank of China, Est.1950)

Currency - Patacas (MOP)

 

Here are the two banknotes of 10 and 20 patacas released on 01.02.2024. News for these two notes were unveiled in late October 2023 and were released before the Chinese New Year 2024. As these are the new series of banknotes, only the 10 and 20 patacas are released and the rest of the series will be issued over the next few years. This new series will eventually replace the 2008 series.

The designs for this new series features Chinese traditional on the front, and on the back showcasing Macau's iconic landmarks and symbols. As expected, the design on the front is the same for both notes, except for the denomination values. This series is dated 18.05.2020.

 

According to the bank, this new series incorporated better security features and better protection against counterfeiting. It should also be noted that the way the value stated on the note has also changed slightly. For the ten patacas banknote, it is now printed with: -

 

Previous - 澳門幣拾圓 (Macau Currency Ten Yuan [Patacas]) to 

Now - 澳門元拾圓 (Macau Yuan Ten Yuan [Patacas])

There are two commercial banks issuing banknotes in Macao and each bank is authorised by the Monetary Authority of Macau to print the following maximum quantity of banknotes;-

 

10 patacas - 80 million pieces; and

20 patacas - 120 million pieces.

 

Signature

Director-Geral Da Sucursal De Macau -  Mr Li Guang 李光 (tenure 2017-2024)

(General Manager of Macau Branch)

Ten Patacas

Southern Lion, Bank of China building in Macau

 

Front - Southern Lion (represents the spirit of Macau). Bank of China building in Macau.

 

Watermark -  Lotus flower and electrotype 10

Dimensions - 139mm x 69.5mm

Back - Macau Waterfront Tower Convention and Entertainment Center. This tower is located in Se. Se is a southeast civil parish in the Macau Peninsula. This tower was reportedly built by the late Stanley Ho Hung-sun (b.1921-2020) after his visit to the Sky Tower in Auckland, New Zealand. Construction for the Macau Waterfront Tower Convention and Entertainment Center started in 1998 and was completed in 2001. The tower is built on land reclamation from the sea, and it served as a communication tower and for mixed use as well. It appears this tower is routinely used for bungee jumping events.

Macau Waterfront Tower Convention and Entertainment Center

Twenty Patacas

Southern Lion, Bank of China building in Macau

Watermark - Lotus flower and electrotype 20

Dimensions - 149mm x 72mm

Back - Macau Science Center is a space-age landmark of Macua. It has a conical-shaped Exhibition center and was built in 2009. This center is open to the public daily except Thursday.

Macau Science Center

Macau, Bank of China - 20 Patacas Commemorative Note 2019 20th Year of Return to China 1999 - 2019

中華人民共和國澳門特別行政區

Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China

中國银行 / Banco Da China / Bank of China

This is a commemorative 20 patacas banknote issued on 22.10.2019, celebrating 20th year of Macau's returned back to China 1999-2019. This is a joint issue with the Banco Nasional Ultramarino celebrating this special occasion. A total quantity of 5.0 million pieces issued but is limited to 5 pieces per person. It is believed that this note is not intended for general circulation.

The design of this note features a golden Shengshi lotus flower on the front. The lotus flower is the national flower of Macau. On the left is the main building of the Bank of China building in Taipa Macau. The note is printed with the date of 1 de Abril de 2019 (01.04.2019).

On the back, it features the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge and tunnel (HZMB), linking Hong Kong, Zhuhai China (珠海市中国) and Macau. This is the longest ocean crossing bridge ever built in the world. It involves three man made islands and also the world longest undersea tunnel crossing of 6.7km. The entire crossing is 55km long and it took 8 years to complete at a cost of USD18+ billion. The bridge is built with 3 spans running from left (Macau), Jiuzhoua channel bridge (two-sail shape towers), Jianghai channel bridge (3-sail shape towers) and Qingzhou channel bridge (as the main image on the back of the note). Like all mega project, the construction of this bridge was delayed by more than a year with cost overruns, human casualties and not to mention the environment impact on those white dolphins living around the areas. The HZMB was completed in early 2018 and opened to traffic in October 2018. The crossing takes about 45 minutes by car from end to end, reducing the journey from 4.5 hours if one has to drive inland between Hong Kong and Macao via China. This bridge is built to withstand a super typhoon or an earthquake of 8.0 on Richter magnitude scale. Seriously do you want to risk this, really? I believe the view on the back of this note heading from Hong Kong on the left to Macau/China on the right.

The road systems in China is that all cars drive on the right hand side of the road whilst both Hong Kong and Macau are the opposite. The entire crossing follows the China road systems but with crossover when reaching both Hong Kong and Macau territories. When the bridge was first completed and for one who wants to use this bridge, one has to apply for the daily quota permit limited to 10,000, pay a significant fee, have adequate insurance and also a special driving license too (not sure if this is still the case). There are further restriction once in Macau as it only allows up to 300 foreign cars entering this enclave daily.

The value of 20 patacas represents the 20th year anniversary. This is the 11th commemorative note issued by the Bank of China since 1995.

Twenty Patacas

Dated 2019

Reverse

Footnote
The design of this note (front and back) are identical to the one issued by Banco Nasional Ultramarino, except the issuing bank's respective brand, logo, head office building and signature/title.

Buyer's Beware
It is believe that there are no official folders issued for this series. If you have bought any of the notes in folders, then these folders are "home-made" and not sanctioned by the two issuing banks. To me, this is the simplest way to tell the differences; -

-Macau use traditional Chinese writing and the name MACAU is written as "澳門";
-in China, the simplified Chinese writing for Macau is "澳门";
-the difference between these two is the second character "門" vs "门" (meaning Door/Gate in English);
-whilst the note is printed with the traditional Chinese character, the folder is not;
-like Hong Kong and Taiwan, Macau have not switched over to the simplified Chinese writing since it was first started in mainland China in the 1930s;
-of course, there are other writings on the folder and on the note have the same meaning but written differently (traditional vs simplified).

Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge and tunnel (HZMB)

 

Macau, Bank of China - 10 Patacas 2015 Year of the Goat Commemorative

Ten Patacas

Dated 1.1.2015

Reverse

Happy New Goat Year to you all. This is a Ten Patacas 2015 Year of the Goat commemorative Banknote. Both the Bank of China and Banco Nacional Ultramarino commenced issuing Chinese Zodiac banknotes since 2012. Like the BNU note, this note was also released earlier on 6.10.2014, together with the Year of the Horse 10 Patacas notes, with the first issue for the Year of the Dragon. Unlike all previous Chinese Zodiac notes issued, this note was released much earlier, on 6.10.2014, together with the Year of the Horse 10 Patacas notes. This is the forth issue note in the 12 Animals cycle series. The design of this note is very similar to those issued by Banco Nacional Ultramarino except the company's brand name, it's head office building and the signatures. It is said that people who were born in the year of the Goat will received financial help or inherit money from unlikely sources. Well, if you are one, your days will come, hopefully soon! Here are some famous people who were born in the Year of the Goat - Barbara Walters, King George IV, Rudolph Valentino, Sir Laurence Oliver (1907), Billie Jean King (1943), Pierre Trudeau (1919) and the late Shah of Iran (1919). Goat years - 1907, 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003 and 2015. 

Lunar Chinese New Year 12-year full cycle

23 January 2012 to 9 February 2013 - dragon

10 February 2013 to 30 January 2014 - snake
31 January 2014 to 18 February 2015 - horse

19 February 2015 - Goat - 07 February 2016

08 Feb 2016 to 27 Jan 2017 - monkey

28 Jan 2017 to 15 Feb 2018 - rooster

16 Jan 2018 to 04 Feb 2019 - dog

05 Feb 2019 to 24 Jan 2020 - pig

25 Jan 2020 to 11 Feb 2021 - rat

12 Feb 2021 to 31 Jan 2022 - ox

01 Feb 2022 to 21 Jan 2023 - tiger

22 Jan 2023 to 09 Feb 2024 - rabbit

Macau, Bank of China - 2013 Lunar New Year of the Snake Commemorative

Bank of China

Lunar New Year - Year of the Snake

10.02.2013 - 30.01.2014

Ten Patacas

Dated 2013, PNL

Reverse

Joint Issue Front Cover

Lunar Chinese New Year 12-year full cycle

23 January 2012 to 9 February 2013 - dragon

10 February 2013 to 30 January 2014 - snake

31 January 2014 to 18 February 2015 - horse

19 Feb 2015 to 07 Feb 2016 - goat

08 Feb 2016 to 27 Jan 2017 - monkey

28 Jan 2017 to 15 Feb 2018 - rooster

16 Jan 2018 to 04 Feb 2019 - dog

05 Feb 2019 to 24 Jan 2020 - pig

25 Jan  2020 to 11 Feb 2021 - rat

12 Feb 2021 to 31 Jan 2022 - ox

01 Feb 2022 to 21 Jan 2023 - tiger

22 Jan 2023 to 09 Feb 2024 - rabbit

Macau, Bank Of China - 10 Patacas 2012 Year of the Dragon Commemorative

Ten Patacas, Dated 1,1,2012

Commemorating Chinese Lunar New Year - Year of the Dragon (23.1.2012 - 9.2.2013)

Bank Of China, Note issued on 12.1.2012
"Gong Xi Fa Cai"
Ten Patacas

Dated 2012, PNL

Reverse

Ten Patacas

 Second Reprint - 8 Digits Serial Number

Reverse

Second Reprint - 8 Digits Serial Number

ND2012, P115

Lunar Chinese New Year 12-year full cycle

23 January 2012 to 9 February 2013 - dragon

10 February 2013 to 30 January 2014 - snake

31 January 2014 to 18 February 2015 - horse

19 Feb 2015 to 07 Feb 2016 - goat
08 Feb 2016 to 27 Jan 2017 - monkey
28 Jan 2017 to 15 Feb 2018 - rooster
16 Jan 2018 to 04 Feb 2019 - dog
05 Feb 2019 to 24 Jan 2020 - pig
25 Jan  2020 to 11 Feb 2021 - rat
12 Feb 2021 to 31 Jan 2022 - ox
01 Feb 2022 to 21 Jan 2023 - tiger
22 Jan 2023 to 09 Feb 2024 - rabbit

Macau, Bank of China - 100 Patacas 2012 Commemorative

This note was issued to celebrate the centenary of the founding of Bank of China and was released in February 2012.
One Hundred Patacas MO Prefix

Dated 5.2.2012, PNL

 One Hundred Patacas BOC Prefix

Dated 5.2.2012, PNL

Reverse

Front Cover with Note

The design of this note incorporated the followings:-

Obverse - Note tinted in gold and illustrating the Bank of China Head Office Building on the right. On the left it incorporated the magnificent Great Wall and the press release (in Chinese) of the founding of the Bank of China in 1912. In the center, a number “100” in Chinese calligraphy to highlight the commemorative theme of the note. The symbol of “∞” has been used to replace the “00” of “100” to imply that Bank of China will continue to prosper and grow without limitation. The note is dated 5.2.2012.

Reverse - Predominaly in green and its main theme is a lotus in Chinese ink and wash painting. Lotus is the floral emblem of Macau SAR.

According to the bank's website, 3.0 million pieces were printed but not less than 1.0 million pieces were sold to the public at MOP 150 each. Is than means that the rest were retained or handed out as gifts to guests, business associates or staffs of the bank etc? So far, I have only sighted two prefixes, ie MO and BOC. Is there a third one, just like those issued by BoC Hong Kong Branch?

Macau, Bank of China - 2008 Full Set

Ten Patacas, Dated 8.8.2008 P109

Twenty Patacas, Dated 8.8.2008 P110
Fifty Patacas, Dated 8.8.2008 P111
One Hundred Patacas, Dated 8.8.2008 P112
Five Hundred Patacas, Dated 8.8.2008 P113
One Thousand Patacas, Dated 8.8.2008 P114

Macau, Bank of China - 2008 Beijing Olympic Commemorative

20 Patacas, Dated 16.7.2008 P108

Commemorating Beijing China 2008 Olympic Games

Dated 2008, P108

Reverse