The Monetary Authority of Macau, or AMCM, says it has begun assigning international securities identification numbers (ISINs) to bonds issued in Macao, so making the process of issuing bonds faster and trading in them easier, at home and abroad.

The authority announced in writing that since Tuesday it has been able to assign ISINs to bonds in just two working days, unlike before, when obtaining an ISIN from abroad took a long time.

The AMCM applied to join the Association of National Coding Agencies after coming up with a bond numbering system last year, the authority says.

Separately, the Portuguese news agency, Lusa, reports that the Macao SAR Government has promised to set up an offshore renminbi stock exchange, to help Macao serve its purpose as a place where China and the Portuguese-speaking world can conduct business.