A banking service that allows Macao and Hong Kong residents to open personal accounts in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) – without actually travelling to the mainland – has been expanded to cover all nine mainland GBA cities, according to financial news outlet Yicai Global.
The proxy witness account opening service is now available at select bank branches in Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing. Previously, it was limited to Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhuhai.
According to an official from the People’s Bank of China, the extension “provides a more convenient payment option for Hong Kong and Macao residents studying, working, and living in the mainland, and promotes financial connectivity in the Greater Bay Area.”
[See more: Non-local currencies continue to dominate Macao’s banking sector]
Under the scheme, a SAR resident’s local bank can act as proxy or witness for banks in the mainland, allowing their clients to complete the account opening process remotely. Eight banks have been approved to provide the service: Bank of China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, China Construction Bank, China Merchants Bank, Bank of East Asia, Bank of Communications, HSBC and Standard Chartered.
Once opened, the accounts can be linked to popular mobile payment apps like Alipay and WeChat Pay – making it easier for SAR residents to make everyday purchases in the mainland.
The service was initially launched in 2019. As of 30 June, about 472,000 proxy witness accounts had been opened, with cumulative transaction volumes exceeding 40 billion yuan (about US$5.6 billion).
