People flocked to HSBC, the Bank of China, and Standard Chartered branches early on Thursday (Jan. 25) morning in long lines to obtain brand-new or nearly new banknotes in time for the Chinese New Year.
The banks launched their annual note exchanges so people could get crisp, clean bills to put in red "lai see" envelopes.
The Co-Head of Retail Distribution, Wealth, and Personal Banking at HSBC, Yvonne Chan, said more people are exchanging old notes for new this year.
"We don't have an exact figure, but we observed that the number of people queuing up has increased by 20 percent compared to last year. We think that the increase is due to the return to normalcy after the pandemic," she said.
"Since more people are interested in celebrating the new year and seeing family and friends this year, we believe that they will be interested in exchanging new banknotes."
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