MasterCard cardholders in Macau will be contributing to protecting the environment when they make purchases with the first "green" credit card in Macau. Banco Nacional Ultramarino (BNU) will make a donation to the Macau Green Fund for every transaction made on the "green" MasterCard.

　　Recently, BNU, a financial institution client of MasterCard in Macau, and the Macau Ecological Society have jointly issued the first credit card with "ecology" and "conservation" as themes. BNU is a wholly-owned subsidiary of leading Portuguese bank Caixa Geral de Depósitos which has more than 1,200 branches and business presence in 24 countries.

　　For every transaction made on the card, BNU will donate the equivalent of 0.25% of that transaction to the Macau Green Fund, which it manages jointly with the Macau Ecological Society for promoting environmental protection activities in the enclave. The charitable initiative is the first led by a bank and supported by a green group in Macau and the card was launched on 5 June which is World Environment Day.

　　Jeroen van Son, Head of Hong Kong and Macau, MasterCard Worldwide, said: "MasterCard has collaborated with BNU for many years. We are pleased to work with the bank on a credit card that will engage MasterCard cardholders in making a difference to the community. We believe the new card will open up more business opportunities for co-branded cards in Macau."

　　To highlight the "conservation" theme, the new card features a Eurasian Spoonbill, a rare species spotted passing through Macau when migrating to the tropics in winter. BNU and the Macau Ecological Society hope to remind cardholders of the need to protect wetlands and rare and precious animals.

　　The launch ceremony held in April was attended by representatives of BNU and the Macau Ecological Society, officials and representatives from the Macau Environmental Protection Bureau, Macau Investment Promotion Institute and Macau Consumer Council.

　　Also, to encourage cardholders to use e-banking and e-statements, BNU will donate MOP$1 to the Macau Green Fund for every account switching to e-statement.