Planned Upgrade of Faster Payment System to Cause Temporary Outage on 18th August

Hong Kong, August 12, 2024 - The Hong Kong Interbank Clearing Limited, the operator of the Faster Payment System (FPS) in Hong Kong, has announced that the FPS service will be unavailable from 1am to 11am on Sunday, August 18, 2024, due to a planned system enhancement.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has requested banks and stored value facility (SVF) operators to provide advance and timely notifications to their customers regarding the temporary disruption to the FPS service. The FPS is a real-time electronic payment service that allows individuals and businesses to make instant fund transfers between bank accounts and e-wallets.

"We understand the inconvenience this may cause to the public, and we appreciate their patience and understanding during this system upgrade," said a spokesperson for the HKMA. "We encourage customers to plan their payment activities accordingly and contact their banks or SVF providers for more details on the availability of related FPS services."

The scheduled maintenance work is expected to improve the overall performance and reliability of the FPS system. Members of the public are advised to make any necessary advance arrangements for their payment activities during the FPS outage period.

The HKMA has also requested banks and SVF operators to provide clear and timely updates to their customers on the status of the FPS service. This temporary disruption to the FPS service comes as Hong Kong continues to embrace digital payment solutions, with the government actively promoting the city's status as a leading fintech hub in the Asia-Pacific region.

快速支付系統計劃升級 造成18日暫時中斷

香港，2024年8月12日 - 香港銀行同業結算有限公司，即香港快速支付系統(FPS)的營運商，已宣布FPS服務將於2024年8月18日(星期日)上午1時至上午11時暫時中斷，原因是系統正進行升級維護。

香港金融管理局(金管局)已要求銀行和儲值支付工具(SVF)營運商及時通知客戶FPS服務暫時中斷的情況。FPS是一個即時電子支付服務，讓個人和企業可以在銀行賬戶和電子錢包之間即時轉賬。

金管局發言人表示:「我們理解這可能給公眾帶來不便,希望大家能夠體諒並耐心等待這次系統升級。我們建議客戶提前安排好付款活動,並與銀行或SVF供應商聯繫,了解FPS服務的具體情況。」

是次計劃維護工作旨在提升FPS系統的整體性能和可靠性。公眾被建議在FPS服務中斷期間提前做好付款安排。

金管局亦要求銀行和SVF營運商及時向客戶提供FPS服務狀況的清晰更新。FPS服務的短暫中斷,正值香港繼續推動電子支付解決方案,鞏固其作為亞太區金融科技中心的地位。