Consumer Finance

The consumer lending sector in the Netherlands is currently witnessing a significant slowdown in growth, particularly in gross lending for the year 2023. This deceleration can be attributed to increasingly stringent lending criteria. Policymakers are…

At the beginning of 2023, the industry anticipated a surge in consumer lending demand as Filipinos resumed spending as the country emerged out of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. A substantial share of consumers also resorted to loans to manage…

In comparison with Eurozone countries, the UK economy has continued to be impacted by high inflation and the soaring cost of living in 2023. While rising electricity and gas prices drove inflation in 2022, they have been gradually decreasing in 2023,…

The primary challenges facing consumer lending in 2023 have been a continuation of 2022’s twin factors of higher inflation and increasing interest rates. While the story in 2022 was one of largely unchecked inflation affecting much of the US economy,…

In 2023, consumer lending has witnessed a surge in current value growth, despite soaring inflation rates that have caused substantial economic challenges for consumers. Unpredictable fluctuations in the cost of living and foreign exchange rates have…

In 2023, the State Bank of Vietnam implemented measures to promote consumer lending for daily needs. To encourage banks to increase their lending activities, including consumer lending, the State Bank issued Circular No. 06/2023/TT-NHNN on 28 June…

Banks in Argentina are grappling with a complex situation as the promotion of credit cards has become less lucrative. The regulated interest rates imposed by the Central Bank have limited the profitability of offering credit cards. Both the interest…

In the latter half of 2022, Canada opened its doors, discarding travel restrictions and welcoming a surge of new students and workers from overseas. Canada's financial institutions greeted these newcomers with a generous $2,000 credit card limit, and…

Credit cards in Chile are undergoing a fascinating transformation, driven by the increasing digitalisation of consumer finance. A surge in digital transactions, including via credit and debit card operations, has led to a significant shift towards…

In 2023, the issuance of credit cards is expected to remain almost flat, with no significant increase. Growth rates for the number and value of transactions are also expected to decelerate compared to the previous year. The value of transactions,…

While the number of cards in circulation is expected to remain stable, with only a marginal increase, there is expected to be a double-digit increase in total transaction values. This is largely explained by inflation, particularly as the spend on…

Amidst the ongoing economic challenges in Egypt, ranging from currency devaluation to inflation and restricted overseas transactions, credit cards have gained substantial traction. The reliance on credit cards is expected to surge further in the…

Consumer credit is facing a number of challenges in France, to the extent the French Association of Financial Companies is reported to have called credit in 2023 a “serious cold snap”. As such, credit difficulties also affect the performance of…

In 2023, credit cards are experiencing growth in terms of the number of cards, volume, and value of transactions. After a prolonged period of recovery from the Greek financial crisis of the previous decade, credit cards have found a stable position…

Since the reopening of borders in the fourth quarter of 2022, there has been a surge in enthusiasm among Hong Kong locals to travel abroad after enduring three years of the pandemic. Residents are now showing a strong and sustained interest in…

The loan repayment moratorium for vulnerable borrowers, including credit card owners, to cope with the negative economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic was extended to the end of 2022, but was not renewed in 2023. Meanwhile, high interest…

In 2023, the credit cards category is again showing positive growth in all terms, cards circulation as well as volume and value transactions, as it did in the previous year. Credit card spending has recovered across categories. Holidays and the end…

In early 2023, the Israeli government is set to mandate Discount Bank to divest its credit card business, Visa Cal, aiming to enhance competition within the credit card market. This move will introduce a new player to the credit market, fostering a…

Credit card is the leading cashless payment method in Japan, and is still responsible for the predominant share of cashless payment transaction volumes and value. Other digital payment instruments are also gaining popularity, but credit cards remain…

The number of credit cards in circulation is set to witness remarkable double-digit growth in 2023, accompanied by even stronger surges in transaction volumes and values when compared with the previous year. These impressive performances not only…

Morocco is a country heavily reliant on cash, with consumers historically favouring debit cards to any other types of financial cards; standard credit cards continue to suffer from a negative perception among locals for several reasons. The demand…

Most banks perceive credit cards as high risk due to experiencing frequent default rates in the past. As such, credit cards continue to be relatively scarce in Nigeria, with mainly high net-worth individuals owning credit cards. Also, due to the…

While the number of credit cards in 2023 is well below the peak seen pre-pandemic in 2019, credit card transaction are witnessing record levels in 2023. Credit card transaction surged in 2022, fuelled by the return to offline retailers and a return…

The landscape of credit cards in 2023 exhibits a dynamic where growth, while still apparent, has tapered in comparison to preceding years. This slowdown is a result of heightened prudence exercised by users, stemming from their concern over the…

The number of personal credit cards in circulation has been falling over the review period. Due to the high interest rates on credit cards, some consumers are paying off balances and closing credit card accounts. This trend can also be linked to the…

The growth in credit card transactions is slowing down as a result of persisting inflation and escalating consumer prices, prompting a return to higher levels of budget-consciousness and financial uncertainty. Economic instability has led to reduced…

After the pandemic, there has been much pent-up demand for activities which were restricted, including going out and travelling abroad. Also, many Swedes managed to make significant savings during COVID-19 and have been able to spend more…

At the close of 2022, Taiwan witnessed a significant reshuffle in its credit card issuance landscape. The top five credit card issuers, ranked by the number of active cards, were Cathay United Bank with 5.77 million, CITIC Bank with 5.34 million, E…

In the Netherlands, credit card usage is on the rise, despite starting from a relatively small base. The key catalyst for this growth in 2023 is the resurgence of outbound travel. While travel experienced rapid growth in 2022, 2023 marked a further…

Credit card transactions continue to exhibit triple-digit current value growth in 2023, aligning with the extremely high inflation rate in Turkey. The rising number of credit cards and transactions is primarily driven by the influx of new consumers…

Credit cards are also benefitting from the ongoing government and finance industry efforts to promote a cashless payment society. As such, we are seeing a robust performance in credit cards in 2023, thanks to a growing awareness among consumers about…

The high inflation rate in Argentina has led to a significant increase in the use of debit cards. The government has refrained from printing higher denomination bills, and the highest available denomination is ARS2000, roughly equivalent to USD8 at…

Canada's labour force shortage has placed mounting pressure on smaller businesses. Traditional checkouts are giving way to efficiency as s retailers scramble to optimise checkout speeds, and there is a growing trend of merchants leaning into…

The latest “National Survey on Cash Usage and Preferences” from Chile’s Central Bank reveals intriguing shifts in payment preferences post-pandemic. In 2022, despite another decline in value, the number of personal cash transactions rebounded to…

The use of debit cards continues to grow and they remain the most important payment method behind cash. Further robust growth is expected in 2023 both in the number of cards in circulation and value of transactions. The performance of debit cards has…

Denmark is mostly a cashless country, and debit cards continue to be the most popular payment method, both in terms of number of transactions and total transaction value, The number of cards is only expected to increase slightly in 2023, as the…

The Central Bank of Egypt reported a noteworthy 15% overall growth in the total number of electronic cards in Egypt by the end of 2022. Specifically, the number of debit cards in the market witnessed a substantial 12% growth. The government's ongoing…

The first news in debit cards is the ongoing growth of their number and transactions – despite the gloomy economic context. This is attributed to the following reasons.

Debit cards continue to dominate the Greek financial cards and payments landscape, showing further growth in 2023. They are growing in terms of the number of cards, volume and value of transactions, and increasingly accounting for smaller, everyday…

Since the reopening of borders in the fourth quarter of 2022, there has been a surge in enthusiasm among Hong Kong’s population to travel abroad after enduring three years of the pandemic. Residents are now showing a strong and sustained interest in…

With the merger of Takarékbank and MKB Bank, a new financial service provider was formed, MBH Bank. MBH Bank leads in the personal and commercial segments, including current accounts and debit cards, and is especially dominant in smaller towns and…

In 2023, the debit cards category has again experienced positive growth in both volume and value transactions, as it did in the previous year. The increase in people’s mobility following the lifting of restrictions imposed to limit the spread of…

In 2023, Israel experienced a notable surge in debit card usage as more individuals opted to pay with credit cards instead of cash. The number of debit cards in circulation increased remarkably. Furthermore, the volume of transactions using debit…

In the past, debit cards were not prevalent in Japan, with alternative payment methods such as credit cards or cash dominating the market. Furthermore, Japanese banks typically issued “cash cards” to their customers, which were primarily intended for…

In 2023, debit cards is set to experience robust double-digit growth in volume and value transactions. Moreover, in 2023 it is expected to achieve full recovery, surpassing the performance observed in 2019, in terms of the number of cards in…

Driven by population growth and continued urbanisation, the number of debit cards in Morocco continues to soar. Traditionally, local consumers show a strong preference for using debit cards thanks to the safety and reliability of paying with existing…

While Nigeria still mainly operates with cash, debit cards are the most popular financial card and continue to gain further penetration and in 2023, both number of cards and transaction values are expected to increase, with a double-digit constant…

Debit cards are the most popular types of card payment in Norway and face little threat from credit cards or other types of financial card payments in 2023. Around one-half of all payment cards in Norway are debit cards, generating more than 80% of…

The momentum of debit card usage continues to surge in 2023, mirroring the trend seen in recent years and maintaining its steadfast trajectory since the onset of the pandemic. The issuance of debit cards has remained notably robust, showcasing the…

Debit cards have been gaining importance as a payment method in Poland since the COVID-19 pandemic, when many consumers switched to cashless transactions as a way of minimising the risk of coming into contact with the COVID-19 virus. In 2023, the…