News

The Government will spend 10 billion patacas to help the needy tackle inflation and to enhance social welfare, the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, announced today at the plenary session of the Legislative Assembly. Mr Chui said the Government would closely monitor inflation in the latter half of this year and evaluate its negative impact on the needy. He said the Government would allocate about 10 billion patacas to improve social welfare and to launch relief initiatives for low income earners. Aside from these measures and if inflation continued to rise, the Government would directly help some 5,300 needy families by enhancing the food bank network. On public housing, the Chief Executive said 19,000 public housing units would be completed at the end of next year as he had promised in the policy address. He then revealed that on top of this the Government is planning to build some 6,000 more units. Three thousand of them are already in the design stage while land has been reserved for some 2,000 units. He emphasised that the Government would allocate the units under the principle of being open, fair and just. On the effects of the recent international financial turmoil on Macao's economy, Mr Chui said that though the economic growth of the whole year remained optimistic, the Government would closely monitor and evaluate impacts of the situation. This is the second time that Mr Chui attended the plenary session of the Legislative Assembly this year, where he also answered the questions from legislators on the issues of social welfare, livelihood, regional co-operation, cultural heritage protection, human resource, public administrative reform, environmental protection, and education and youth affairs.
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The Financial Intelligence Office (Portuguese acronym "GIF") held an official dinner on 9th August 2011 at the Plaza Restaurant in celebration of its 5th Anniversary. In the Anniversary Dinner, Ms. Deborah Ng Man Seong, the Director of GIF, highlighted the works done in the AML/CFT (Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Financing of Terrorism) regime in the past 5 years. She denoted that with the continuous coordination and support from the inter-departmental Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Working Group members, GIF would keep on exerting its greatest effort to enhance its existing financial intelligence monitoring and data collection system, so as to cope with the ever-changing money laundering and terrorism financing trends, as well as the more stringent and rigid supervision standards from international organizations. Mr. Francis Tam, Secretary for Economy and Finance, representatives from the inter-departmental AML Working Group, including the Independent Commission for the Exercise of the Disciplinary Power over Solicitors, Public Prosecutions Office, Commission against Corruption, Unitary Police Service, Macao Customs Service, Legal Affairs Bureau, Law Reform and International Law Bureau, Economic Services Bureau, Financial Services Bureau, Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, Monetary Authority of Macao and Judiciary Police, and representatives from other government departments including the Secretary for Security, the Identification Bureau and Macau Lawyers Association were cordially invited to attend this Anniversary Dinner. Ms. Deborah Ng depicted that GIF was formed in 2006 as a Financial Intelligence Unit to analyze suspicious transactions and disseminate useful intelligence to law enforcement agencies and competent authorities. Up to the second quarter of 2011, the total number of STRs received accumulates to about 5,000, 36% of which are from Financial Institutions and 64% from non-Financial Institutions and other entities. Since the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) / Offshore Group of Banking Supervisors (OGBS) mutual evaluation in 2006 and the adoption of the report in 2007, the Macao SAR government has been fully engaged in the implementation of the recommendations given in the Mutual Evaluation Report. A special AML Working Group consisting of all relevant supervisory and law enforcement agencies was assigned with the coordination role for follow up with the implementation work, and lots of progresses have been made throughout these 5 years, including but not limited to setting-up of secured and reliable database and analysis systems, assistance in capacity building of the law enforcement agencies, building up of cooperation and information exchange mechanisms among the GIF, law enforcement agencies and supervisory agencies, and international cooperation through active participation in international events, as well as signing cooperation agreements with foreign counterparts. In 2009, GIF entered the Egmont Group which is an international body for the Financial Intelligence Units and provides a platform for information exchange among members. Up to the moment, GIF has already signed "Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)" for cooperation with 10 jurisdictions including Mainland China, Portugal, Hong Kong SAR, Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the population of Macao was estimated at 558,100 as at 30 June 2011, an increase of 1,300 from end-March. There were 1,353 live births in the second quarter of 2011, up by 6.2% quarter-to-quarter. Gender ratio of the newborn was 102.8, with 686 male babies. Number of mortality cases totalled 403, down by 21.6% quarter-to-quarter; major underlying causes of death were Neoplasms and Diseases of the Circulatory System. A total of 911 cases of Notifiable diseases were reported in this quarter, consisting mainly of Enterovirus Infection (590 cases), Tuberculosis of lung (80 cases) and Chickenpox (62 cases). In addition, 779 cases of marriage registration were recorded, down by 10.8% over the first quarter of 2011. In the second quarter of 2011, there were 1,534 Chinese immigrants with One-way Exit Permit moving to Macao, a decrease of 547 quarter-to-quarter; meanwhile, 325 illegal immigrants were repatriated. Moreover, a total of 621 individuals were authorized to reside in Macao, down by 83 quarter-to-quarter. Total number of non-resident workers stood at 85,273 at the end of the second quarter, up by 3,857 quarter-to-quarter.
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According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, on a monthly basis, broad money increased marginally in June. As loans grew faster than deposits, the overall loan-to-deposit ratio continued to rise.
Money supply
Currency in circulation grew 0.9% whereas demand deposits dropped 4.9%. M1 thus decreased 4.1% when compared with the previous month. Quasi-monetary liabilities rose by 1.1%. M2 therefore edged up by 0.3% to MOP271.3 billion. On an annual basis, M1 and M2 rose 6.5% and 22.1% respectively. The share of Pataca (MOP) in M2 stood at 26.6%, up 0.2 percentage points over a month ago but down 0.8 percentage points from a year earlier. The share of Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) in M2 was 53.6%, down 1.1 percentage points month-to-month and 1.3 percentage points year-on-year.
Deposits
Resident deposits grew 0.3% from the previous month to MOP265.1 billion. Of which, MOP deposits and other foreign currency deposits increased at respective rates of 1.0% and 5.1% while HKD deposits dropped 1.6%. Concurrently, non-resident deposits edged down 0.2% to MOP92.0 billion and public sector deposits with the banking sector increased 3.9% to MOP22.9 billion. As a result, total deposits with the banking sector grew 0.4% from a month earlier to MOP380.0 billion. The shares of MOP and HKD in total deposits were 22.0% and 44.6% respectively.
Loans
Domestic loans to the private sector increased 4.8% on a monthly basis to MOP156.7 billion. Among which, MOP39.7 billion was MOP-denominated and MOP103.3 billion was denominated in HKD, representing 25.3% and 65.9% of the total respectively. Loans to "manufacturing industries", loans to "restaurants, hotels and similar" as well as "other personal credit" increased quarter-to-quarter at respective rates of 23.3%, 22.5% and 17.6% whereas those to "gaming" dropped 24.4%. Meanwhile, external loans increased 5.0% to MOP158.4 billion; of which, loans denominated in MOP and HKD accounted for 0.2% (MOP0.4 billion) and 32.4% (MOP51.3 billion) respectively.
Loan-to-deposit ratios
As domestic loans to the private sector grew faster than resident deposits, the loan-to-deposit ratio for the resident sector at end-June 2011 rose 2.2 percentage points month-to-month to 54.4%. The ratio for both the resident and non-resident sectors also grew 3.6 percentage points from the previous month to 83.0%. Annex Table
For enquiry, please contact:
Research and Statistics Department, Monetary Authority of Macao (Tel: 83952532; Fax: 28353042)
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that a total of 911 new companies were incorporated in the second quarter of 2011, up by 17.1% year-on-year; total value of registered capital surged by 136.6% to MOP321 million. Among the new incorporations, 256 were operating in Wholesale and Retail, 168 in Real Estate and 156 in Business Services. There were 629 (69.0% of total) new incorporations registered with capital under MOP50,000 and the value of capital (MOP17 million) made up merely 5.2% of the total; meanwhile, there were 25 new companies registered with capital of MOP1,000,000 or over, and the value of capital (MOP269 million) accounted for 83.8% of the total. In addition, more than 80% of the new incorporations were limited companies. Capital of the new companies came mainly from Macao (MOP196 million), Mainland China (MOP61 million) and Hong Kong (MOP40 million). Capital originating from the 9 Provinces of the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region amounted to MOP22 million, with that from Guangdong province sharing MOP20 million. Analyzed by place of residence of the shareholders, 568 new companies were established solely by Macao shareholders, and 116 were joint ventures between shareholders from Macao and other countries or regions. In the second quarter of 2011, number of companies in dissolution totalled 112 and the value of registered capital amounted to MOP122 million, of which registered capital of 22 Real Estate companies in dissolution accounted for 54.6% of the total.
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Consumer Council announced the winners of the 'Consumer Rights Chinese Slogan Competition'. Judges chose 5 winning award and 10 excellence award winners among the almost 600 slogans submitted, and winning works will be used in future consumer education work. The list of winners has been uploaded to Consumer Council's website (www.consumer.gov.mo). Winners will also be contacted individually. For enquiries, please call 8988 9315.
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23rd Macau International Fireworks Display Contest, organized by Macau Government Tourist Office, will be held on September 10, 12, 17, 24 and October 1 at the sea area in front of the Macau Tower. Director of MGTO, João Manuel Costa Antunes expressed in the press conference that nine out of the ten teams this year have taken part in the Fireworks Display Contest in Macau before. Among which, a number of them won prizes and the team from Japan is a four-time champion. He is confident that the ten breathtaking fireworks displays will thrill the spectators' senses of sight and sound, creating wonderful memories for citizens and visitors alike. Among the five nights of fireworks display contest, September 12 falls on Mid-Autumn Festival and October 1 is China's National Day. Teams from France and China will deploy their skills on China's National Day to add extra sparkle to the celebrations. Each participating team is requested again this year to complement their display with music to enthrall the audience with a light and sound spectacular. To enhance the enjoyment, the organizer will install sound systems at the waterfront of the Macau Tower Outdoor Plaza, at the Macau Tower Street seaside and at the square in front of Kun Iam Statue on Ave. Dr Sun Yat Sen so that the public can enjoy synchronized music to the spectacular displays. Spectators are able to listen to live music of the fireworks displays through Radio Macau's live broadcast at FM100.7. In past years, world-renowned pyrotechnic companies have participated in the Macau International Fireworks Display Contest. The contest this year features teams from the Canada, Korea, Japan, United Kingdom, Austria, Chinese Taiwan, the Philippines, Portugal, France and China. Among which, the team from Canada will make its Macau debut. A number of the teams participating in the contest this year are veterans of the event. Teams from Japan, China, the Philippines and Korea, who scored the top four prizes last year, will revisit Macau to vie for the contest again. Tamaya Kitahara Fireworks Co. Ltd. from Japan, who possesses unique technique to produce firework shells which are perfectly spherical, is a four-time champion that will gain the applause of the spectators again. Other teams are no pushovers. Brezac Aftifices from France won twice the laurel in its three attempts while the team from Chinese Taiwan won once in its five attempts. Panda Fireworks Group Co. Ltd from China, who won the second prize last year, has also set eye on the champion trophy. Sirius Pyrotechnics from Canada is a new comer to the contest. Performed in the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics 2010 in Canada last year, Sirius Pyrotechnics is a famous fireworks company that specializes in large scale pyrotechnic production. This year MGTO will continue to join hands with Companhia de Telecomunicações de Macau S.A.R.L. (CTM) to launch "SMS Game" to promote citizen participation in the event. MGTO will spare no effort to bring about the world's most prominent international fireworks display to visitors and at the same time, will promote the fireworks display contest through various international, regional and local media channels, including advertisements on international media in neighboring region and travel magazines as well as distribute posters and leaflets. MGTO and the General Union of Neighbors Association of Macau will again jointly present the Fireworks Carnival to add more fun and colors to the fireworks display nights to reinforce the image of Macau as a destination. In order to capture the spectacular moments of the fireworks display contest, photo and drawing competitions will be held again this year. 23rd Macau International Fireworks Display Contest Photo Competition and 23rd Macau International Fireworks Display Contest Drawing Competition will invite entries soon. The winners of the two competitions will be entitled to premiums and trophies.
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The second phase of the Macao Creative Pavilion is now underway, scheduled to run from July 5th through September 30th on the first floor of the Tourism and Culture Activity Centre (the 'yellow house' on Company of Jesus Square, in front of the Ruins of St. Paul's). The Cultural Affairs Bureau, organiser of the project, is using this second phase to add cultural elements such as performing arts, animation and handicrafts to the current offering in the Pavilion, highlighting the ongoing development and diversification of Macao's cultural and creative industries and achieving a more comprehensive display of 'Macao Design, Macao Creativity'. The Macao Creative Pavilion generated an enthusiastic response in its inaugural phase, presenting quality displays and enjoying strong sales. Total sales during the Pavilion's first phase reached MOP 298,000 with average monthly sales of around MOP 100,000. To encourage a greater number of cultural and creative entities to participate in the display and sales activities at the Macao Creative Pavilion, the Cultural Affairs Bureau made a selection of 36 outstanding local businesses and associations from among the profiles collected in the Database for the Cultural and Creative Industries (DBCCI), inviting them to participate in the project's second phase. The exhibitors include: the Art For All Society, the Printmaking Research Centre of Macao, Glassnine Art co ltd., Review Culture Co. Ltd., Bruno Design, Shadow Simple Life, Unicam, Imparadise's Handmade, J's Handmade Station, Phoenix Skyscape Publisher, Associação de Ciências Humanas de Macau (Macao Association of Human Sciences), Ma Kao Sec (Macau) Publicação Limitada (Ma Kao Sec (Macau) Publishing Ltd.), the Macao Electronic Music Association, Vocanimals Music Co. Ltd., Smith's Creation, AO2 Handbag Design Shop, Gutierrez, Silver One's, Estudio de Animação Infinito Sociedade Unipessoal Lda. (Inifinity Animation Studios Co. Ltd.), Bordo Caricature Club, Comic's Kingdom, Force Publicações Sociedade Unipessoal Limitada (Force Publications Co. Ltd), Morpheus Animation Studios Co. Ltd., 10 Fantasia, Teatro Horizonte (MACAU) (the Macao Horizon Theatre), Associação de Arte e Cultura - Comuna de Pedra (Stone Commune Arts and Culture Association), Step Out, Point View Art Association, Little Mountain Arts Association, the Macao Taoist Orchestra Association, the Macao Pianists Association, Godot Art Association, Association of Macau Street Dance, The Dancer Studio Macao, Long Fung Drama Club and Theatre Farmers. The public is invited to visit the Pavilion and appreciate locally designed products, publications and performances and purchase attractive cultural and creative products. The Macao Creative Pavilion is located on the first floor of the Tourism and Culture Activity Centre (the yellow house on Company of Jesus Square, in front of the Ruins of St. Paul's). Opening hours for the Second Phase (July 5th to September 30th) are 9am – 8pm daily, public holidays included.
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Macao would continue to work with Inner Mongolia to promote trade and tourism between the two places, the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, said today. Speaking to the press on the last day of a four-day visit, Mr Chui said the trip was satisfactory and enabled him to learn more about the recent development of the northern autonomous region. He said Macao and Inner Mongolia had been co-operating in trade and tourism since 2002, in particular Macao's Institute for Tourism Studies, a public tertiary education college, had been providing a series of personnel training courses for Inner Mongolia hotels. He said Macao would continue to provide training for Inner Mongolia's hospitality industry, study the feasibility of direct flights, and help promote the region's products in Lusophone countries. Asked by reporters about the development of Hengqin, an island adjacent to Macao, Mr Chui said Macao, Guangdong and related Central Government authorities had been studying the details of taxation and customs systems. The Chief-of-Cabinet of the Office of the Chief Executive, Mr Tam Chon Weng, who was with the delegation, told reporters that the Chief Executive and leading officials of Guangdong would soon announce some preferential policies and measures to attract Macao businessmen to invest in Hengqin. Mr Chui and his delegation left Inner Mongolia for Macao in the afternoon.
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The Cultural Affairs Bureau has launched the iPhone App "WH Macau". The application enriches the experience of "Strolling through the Historic Centre of Macao" by providing residents and tourists, wherever they are, with the latest information and developments regarding the World Heritage-listed sites via a clear and practical interface. The "WH Macau" app includes an introduction to Macao World Heritage, real-time multimedia information on tourist attractions and an interactive interface. Using GPS (Global Positioning System) for guidance, the app "accompanies" citizens and tourists as they stroll through the Historic Centre of Macao, giving convenient and relevant information on scenic spots, such as distance, directions, profiles, opening hours and addresses. Users can share their travels with friends around the globe on Facebook via the "Share" function embedded in the app. Moreover, users can view 360-degree virtual-reality pictures and video clips about the Historic Centre of Macao -- Cultural World Heritage on their mobile phones from anywhere in the world. This app stores numerous useful and emergency contact numbers to facilitate enquiries and assistance. The interface and content is available in traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese, English and Portuguese. Residents and tourists can download the app for free from the App Store by searching "WH Macau" or "Macao World Heritage". Alternatively, the App may be downloaded on www.macauheritage.net. For any enquiries, please call us at 8399 6699 during office hours or email us at webmaster@icm.gov.mo.
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