Market research on the consumer finance industry. Our reports fea...
Market research on the consumer finance industry. Our reports feature standardised and cross-comparable statistics including total market sizes, market share and brand share data, distribution and industry trends.
Japan currently does not have any law restrictions surrounding Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) and thus the benefits, such as convenience, flexibility, and especially no credit checks, are gradually being understood by a wider consumer base. These benefits…
The major talking point of 2023 from a consumer lending point of view has been the increase in interest rates over the year as a result of the RBA (Reserve Bank of Australia) attempting to address high inflation rates. Due to higher interest rates,…
Brazilians are well-acquainted with dividing payments into instalments, a practice prevalent in both traditional retail credit (known as "crediário") and credit card payments. The compounding effects of inflation, a challenging job market, and…
Demand for consumer lending is set to see a moderate rebound in 2023, as the pandemic has eased, and consumer spending has returned, especially on services and in other discretionary categories. However, growth in consumer lending in China is…
Consumer lending in Japan is growing in 2023 in line with demand for greater convenience and easy access to lending services, mainly due to more services being accessed online. New emerging players, such as LINE Pocket Money by LINE Credit…
Amid the rising cost of living in Australia, credit spend increased significantly in 2022, while the number of transactions has continued to rise in 2023 as consumers use their credit cards for smaller, more frequent purchases. However, the number of…
While in Brazil, the number of debit cards in circulation still surpasses that of credit cards, the latter is experiencing a more rapid growth trajectory. This surge in credit card usage is fuelled by the increasing digitisation of financial services…
The number of credit cards in circulation and credit card current value transactions are expected to increase in 2023, mainly driven by further improvements in mobility and economic conditions after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted at the end of…
Credit card transactions in Singapore have sustained considerable growth in both total retail value and transaction volume, owing to the resurgence of the travel industry in Asia Pacific. This revival of travel has become the key growth driver for…
The decline of cash was already evident in Australia prior to the pandemic, with the tough regulations imposed during this period causing the decline to rapidly accelerate. Cash usage has failed to rebound with many consumers and businesses having…
Debit cards in Brazil have enjoyed continuous growth as an increasing number of Brazilians shift away from traditional paper-based payment methods such as cash and cheques. This transition is driven by the ongoing digitisation of financial services…
In 2023, debit card spending is expected to see year-on-year growth both in terms of payment transactions and payment values, derived from pent-up demand over the last three years, which has been released in this year. Many consumers have taken the…
The consistent growth of debit cards in Singapore can be attributed to the ongoing enhancement of benefits provided to debit cardholders. In the past, debit card offerings and associated benefits were generally outpaced by those offered by credit…
2023 is witnessing a continuation of some of the key trends from the previous year. Credit card spend remains significant in 2023, despite seeing a marginal decline compared to 2022, and this is largely due to the rising cost of living experienced by…
In 2023, Brazil's finance industry is undergoing rapid transformations driven by an expanding banked population, digitalisation, and advancements in open finance. Concurrently, consumers are increasingly turning to credit in the face of adverse…
Financial cards and payments in China is set to see a rebound in 2023, following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions. Consumers have taken the reopening of society as an opportunity to increase their discretionary spending, particularly in the areas…
The financial cards and payments landscape in Singapore has experienced notable transformations as the nation progresses towards its goal of becoming a cashless society. This evolution has been primarily driven by the rise of digitalisation,…
While remote working has become a staple arrangement for many Australians, the idea of working remotely every day has been phased out. Many employees are returning to the office five days a week, while others have a hybrid arrangement which sees them…
Local consumers increasingly seek the ability to utilise pre-paid cards in digital domains, spanning online shopping, food delivery services, and ride-hailing platforms. Brazilians also aspire to utilise pre-paid cards in diverse contexts, including…
As of July 2023, 10 pre-paid card issuers had had their payment clearing license revoked, according to PBOC (People’s Bank of China). In fact, the majority of these issuers voluntarily cancelled their licenses, affected by stringent government…
EZ-link, the leading open-looped pre-paid card in Singapore, has significantly benefited from the resumption of regional travel. Not only has EZ-link gained traction among tourists visiting Singapore, who find it a convenient payment solution for…
Usage of store cards in Australia has not improved post-pandemic, as the product has fallen out of favour among consumers. Credit cards are more competitive in terms of rewards and can be used anywhere, while store cards are restricted to specific…
One notable historical factor contributing to the popularity of store cards in Brazil is the ease of acquisition. Typically, consumers can swiftly register for a store card in-store, a process often completed in five minutes or less. This…
Charge cards represent a diminishing segment within the payment industry, primarily due to their inability to provide financing options. Consumers increasingly favour credit cards over charge cards when making purchases, further contributing to the…
Growth continues to slow for charge cards in Canada in 2023, with the category’s relevance fading rapidly. One reason is lack of availability, with American Express morphing many of its charge cards into the realm of traditional credit cards. For the…
Despite the evolving financial landscape, charge cards retain their status as an unpopular category in Egypt. The demand for charge cards remains stagnant, with no anticipated improvements in terms of popularity, transaction volumes, or market share…
Charge cards in 2023 is benefitting from the revival of meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) and business tourism, which experienced a significant slump during the era of the pandemic, and which has taken some time to bounce back…
During the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-2021, commercial charge cards experienced a significant downturn in sales. The lockdowns, decline in tourism (a key driver of the Greek economy), general reduction in business activities, and restrictions on…
There has been a decline in the number of high net worth individuals (HNWI) in Hong Kong since 2020. In response, charge card operators such as American Express and Diners Club are determined to customise their latest offers to better cater for this…
Only commercial charge cards are available in Hungary in 2023, with personal charge cards no longer available. Moreover, commercial charge cards are only offered to top corporate executives and senior managers and there are no indications that this…
In 2023, the charge cards category has experienced positive growth, both in terms of volume and value transactions. Similarly to the previous year, growth has largely been driven by the revival of normal social and economic activity in the wake of…
The increasing prevalence of charge cards issued by non-bank entities in 2023 is significantly impacting the usage of charge cards. The convenience and security offered by digital wallets pose a threat to credit card usage. The rapid growth of…
Charge cards, which is predominantly represented by American Express, is expected to experience a remarkable resurgence in 2023. In this year charge cards is expected to rebound to around the pre-pandemic levels of usage and card issuance. This…
The number of charge cards in circulation in Morocco is rising thanks mainly to population growth, urbanisation and the rising share of the banked population. The convenience of interest-free deferred payments - the core feature of charge cards - is…
Charge cards is a niche category in the Norwegian financial cards and payments landscape where debit cards and credit cards dominate. in 2023, debit and credit cards combined accounted for 95% of card payment transactions with little room for charge…
The post-pandemic return to normal lifestyles is helping to revive the charge card category, with transactions rising alongside the recovery in travel. Nevertheless, charge cards issued by banks continue to be infrequently utilised and the number in…
Charge cards experience sluggish growth due to rising inflation and a low economic performance, leading companies to optimise expenditures by reducing spending limits. However, charge cards lack digital options that are flourishing in other card…
Charge cards are increasingly viewed as a niche product in Sweden, accounting for just 1% of all transactions in 2023, and therefore recorded further decline in the year. In a development which started before the COVID-19 crisis, fewer and fewer…
Despite being historically less popular in Taiwan due to limited merchant acceptance compared to VISA, MasterCard, and JCB, American Express (AMEX) is making significant strides in the market. The key to its success lies in the exclusive benefits and…
The most common type of charge card in the Czech Republic is commercial fleet cards which are offered to top corporate managers. Charge card transactions continued to rise by double-digits in 2023, due to the bounce back in corporate spending, as…
While charge card payments have experienced some growth in popularity over the review period, they remain a relatively minor payment method in the Netherlands, largely due to deeply ingrained cultural factors. Dutch consumers typically gravitate…
Charge cards were not issued by banks in Turkey at the end of the review period. Instead, credit cards and debit cards remain the two main types of financial card. Consumers who use credit cards employ them mostly for the “pay later” function, while…
While the Buy Now, Pay Later mechanism is still in its early stages in the country, new companies are emerging with innovative models, such as GOcuotas. Despite being relatively small, GOcuotas is experiencing remarkable growth, boasting an annual…
In 2023 the Bank of Canada has tweaked its prime interest rate several times. The impact on the housing market has been a rise in household mortgage debt. Consumers with variable rate mortgages or on the cusp of renewals have been struck especially…
Historically, when a consumer applied for a bank loan, the commitment was typically honoured until the debt was fully repaid because the process of making a change was costly and time-consuming. In 2020, Chile introduced the Financial Portability Law…
In the early months of 2023, a challenging macroeconomic climate, coupled with low consumer confidence, high interest rates to curb demand and soaring inflation, as well as political uncertainty, resulted in a marked deceleration in the issuance of…
Increasing interest rates are having an impact on consumer lending in 2023, with growth lower than the previous year. That being said, growth is still positive as the economy fares fairly well, in spite of inflation continuing to rise, though at a…
Forbes Middle East's recent list of the top 30 fintech companies for 2023 highlighted a strong presence from Egypt. Fawry secured the top spot, boasting an extensive network of 36 member banks, over 280,000 agents, and a user base exceeding 49…
Consumer credit is facing challenges in 2023, due to the uncertainty of the overall economic context. Negative influencing factors include high inflation, geopolitical unrest concerning the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, and, in light of this situation,…
Since the reopening of borders in the fourth quarter of 2022, there has been a significant increase in the desire of Hong Kong residents to travel abroad, following three years of pandemic-induced restrictions. Throughout 2023, there has been a…