The mainland and Hong Kong have agreed to establish a cross-border payment arrangement for four currencies to enhance efficiency.
From March 16, four mainland lenders would be able to use connected real-time gross settlement systems to make cross-border payments and settlements, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority said yesterday.
Real-time settlement means payment transactions take place instantly.
The arrangements will cover four currencies - the Hong Kong dollar, US dollar, euro and British pound.
A memorandum has been signed between the People's Bank of China and the HKMA.
'These arrangements will deepen the ongoing promotion of financial co-operation between the mainland and Hong Kong and mark the introduction of a wide-ranging cross-border payment and settlement mechanism covering multiple currencies,' the authority said.
'The mainland and Hong Kong participating banks will benefit from enhanced liquidity efficiency and management as well as increased competitiveness in cross-border payment services.'