China's central bank on Friday issued guidelines to regulate the country's burgeoning prepaid card market.

The face value of prepaid cards bearing the names of their owners must not exceed 5,000 yuan (787 U.S. dollars), while the face value of cards that do not bear the names of their owners must be below 1,000 yuan, the People's Bank of China said in a statement posted on its website.

Issuers of prepaid cards must register the identities of the cards' buyers if they purchase more than 10,000 yuan in cards, according to the statement.

Cards bearing the names of purchasers must be permanently valid, while those that do not bear the names of owners should be valid for at least three years, the statement said.

The regulations aim to boost the "orderly development" of the country's prepaid card market, protect interests of card holders and prevent payment risks, the central bank said.

Any feedback from the public on the regulations should be submitted to the central bank before next Saturday, the statement said.

Source:china.org