Hong Kong dollar | |
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港元 (Chinese) | |
Hong Kong SAR
|
|
ISO 4217 | |
Code | HKD |
Denominations | |
Symbol | $ or HK$ |
Banknotes | $10, $20, $50, $100, $150 (commemorative), $500, $1,000 |
Demographics | |
Official user(s) | Hong Kong |
Unofficial user(s) |
China Macau |
Issuance | |
Monetary authority | Hong Kong Monetary Authority |
Website | www |
Printer |
Issuing banks:
Note printer: |
Website | www |
Issuing banks:
Note printer:
The issue of banknotes of the Hong Kong dollar is governed in the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the governmental currency board of Hong Kong. Under licence from the HKMA, three commercial banks issue their own banknotes for general circulation in the region. Notes are also issued by the HKMA itself.
In most countries of the world the issue of banknotes is handled exclusively by a single central bank or government. The arrangements in Hong Kong are unusual but not unique, as a comparable system is used in the United Kingdom where eight banks issue banknotes (one in England and Wales, three in Scotland, and four in Northern Ireland) and Macau where two banks issue banknotes.
Hong Kong banknotes in everyday circulation are $10, $20, $50, $100, $500 and $1,000.
The total value of banknotes in circulation in Hong Kong can be found in the HKMA Monthly Statistical Bulletin and the HKMA Annual Report.
In the 1860s the Oriental Bank Corporation, the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China and the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation began issuing notes. Denominations issued in the 1860s and 1870s included 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 and 500 dollars. These notes were not accepted by the Treasury for payment of government dues and taxes, although they were accepted for use by merchants. 25-dollar notes did not survive beyond the end of the 19th century, whilst the 1-dollar notes (issued only by the HSBC) were issued until 1935.