Lenders in Portuguese-speaking Countries saw nearly 6.29 billion yuan (US$983.7 million) pass through their clearing operations in the first ten months of this year via Macao, said Bank of China Macau Branch.

Wang Jun, Deputy General Manager of BOC Macau, said in a seminar on Friday that the figure represented “double-digit growth” compared to the same period last year, local newspaper Macao Daily News reported.

In the first ten months of 2015, the Macao banking system as a whole cleared more than 1.3 trillion yuan in funds; 27 percent more than in the prior-year period, the report said.

Mr Wang added that BOC Macau – the authorised clearing bank for yuan business in Macao – has established ties with more than 30 lenders in Portuguese-speaking Countries.

Macao can help to promote further the use of yuan in Portuguese-speaking Countries via Macao’s role as a service platform between China and those nations, he noted.