As the Chinese New Year draws near, the Monetary Authority has announced that new notes and good-as-new notes will be available for exchange at branches of the three note-issuing banks from January 14 to 28.

It also encouraged the public to use electronic channels such as the Faster Payment System or other e-wallet services for giving lai-see.

The note-issuing banks, namely the Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation, Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) and Bank of China (Hong Kong), will put in place appropriate measures to facilitate the exchange of notes. This includes extending opening hours and offering an online booking service.