The Monetary Authority of Macao (AMCM) recently organised the 15th Statistics Conference of the Central Banks of Portuguese-speaking Countries, marking the second time that the AMCM has hosted the event, following the 2021 edition. A total of 21 representatives from the National Bank of Angola, the Bank of Cabo Verde, the Bank of Mozambique, the Bank of Portugal, the Central Bank of São Tomé and Principe, the Central Bank of Timor-Leste and the AMCM participated in the conference, exchanging experiences under the theme “Deepening statistical co-operation and jointly promoting data development”.

In her opening remarks, the AMCM Executive Director of the Board of Directors Lau Hang Kun said that, as one of the entities responsible for producing official statistics in the Macao SAR, the AMCM has strictly adhered to international standards in compiling and publishing financial and external sector statistics, while also actively participating in multiple international statistical co-operation projects. These high-quality statistical results provide a solid scientific basis for policymaking and performance evaluation, among other activities.

With the flourishing of the digital economy, the rapid evolution of payment methods and the introduction of the seventh edition of the Integrated Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual (BPM7) into its transitional implementation phase, central banks’ statistical work will have new opportunities and face new challenges. The representatives held in-depth discussions and exchanged views on various subjects, particularly the latest developments in electronic payments statistics, challenges in compiling external sector statistics, the concepts and preparatory work regarding the transitional implementation phase of BPM7, as well as the division of responsibilities and co-operation between central banks and statistical services within the scope of statistical functions.

The AMCM hopes that the discussions and exchanges held during the meeting will help build consensus and promote mutual learning, with a view to jointly strengthening professional capacity in statistics with the Portuguese-speaking countries and enhancing the international alignment of statistical work. In the future, the AMCM will continue to reinforce its contacts with the central banks of Portuguese-speaking countries, promote multilateral co-operation between the MSAR and Portuguese-speaking countries, consolidate Macao’s role as a financial services platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, and play its role as a “precision interlocutor” effectively.

(Source: Government Portal of Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, 10 September)