MACAO, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The value of electronic payment transactions in Macao's restaurants and similar establishments reached 1.15 billion patacas (about 142.6 million U.S. dollars) in May 2025, marking a 7.7 percent year-on-year increase and a 9.5 percent rise from the previous month, the Special Administrative Region (SAR)'s Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) reported on Thursday.

The DSEC attributed the rise to surges in fast-food restaurants, Western restaurants, and local-style cafes in May, with respective annual growth rates of 16.2 percent, 13.2 percent, and 9.8 percent.

Statistics showed that during the first five months of 2025, the transaction value for the dining sector grew 3.2 percent year-on-year to 5.69 billion patacas.

Retail trade, meanwhile, recorded a transaction value of 4.1 billion patacas in May, representing a year-on-year decrease of 3.1 percent, but a significant 14.1 percent increase from April. Over the first five months, the sector saw a 13.6 percent year-on-year drop to 20.81 billion patacas.

The statistics are based on data from major merchant acquirers in the Macao SAR, and electronic payments account for 70-80 percent of total receipts in these sectors, according to the DSEC. ■