More Than Three Million Receive HK$10,000 Handout

The government said that more than half of people who registered online for a HK$10,000 cash handout, aimed at boosting the local economy, had received the money.

Around 3.15 million people received the payment on Monday. The government described them as a “first batch”, who had registered electronically through their banks, and the remainder will get their money in the coming day or two.

All permanent residents in the city are eligible for the cash, even those who are not currently residing in Hong Kong.

Those who registered online on or after July 1 will start to receive the payment about a week after their registration.

Banks will send a notification of the payment through SMS, email or the post within three business days.

The financial secretary Paul Chan said on Sunday that around 5.76 million people had registered for the payment so far, and that the 4.3 million people who did so last month would receive their handout first.

The rush to check if the payment had been deposited put immense strain on local banks’ online banking services earlier on Monday, leading to slow or disrupted connections.