COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
Competitive landscape remains steady, with Mastercard accelerating product offerings
China UnionPay is the overwhelmingly dominant operator in China within the credit card category, benefiting mainly from a high merchant acceptance rate and deep integration with China’s payment infrastructure. Nonetheless, new entrants such as American Express and Mastercard continue to expand within personal credit cards - most notably among Chinese outbound travellers.
China Merchant Bank boasts most credit cards in circulation, and tourists benefit from digital wallets
In terms of cards in circulation, China Merchant Bank continues to lead the market, with state-owned players Bank of China and ICBC occupying the second and third positions, respectively. The issuer landscape remains stable, due to high barriers of entry and incumbent players’ extensive domestic networks.
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Overview:
Understand the latest market trends and future growth opportunities for the Credit Card Transactions industry in China with research from Euromonitor International's team of in-country analysts – experts by industry and geographic specialisation.
Key trends are clearly and succinctly summarised alongside the most current research data available. Understand and assess competitive threats and plan corporate strategy with our qualitative analysis, insight and confident growth projections.
If you're in the Credit Card Transactions industry in China, our research will help you to make informed, intelligent decisions; to recognise and profit from opportunity, or to offer resilience amidst market uncertainty.
The Credit Card Transactions in China report includes:
- Analysis of key supply-side and demand trends
- Detailed segmentation of international and local products
- Historic volume and value sizes, company and brand market shares
- Five year forecasts of market trends and market growth
- Robust and transparent research methodology, conducted in-country
This report answers:
- What is the market size of Credit Card Transactions in China?
- What are the major trends key to understanding Credit Card Transactions in China?
- How has COVID-19, recession and macroeconomic volatility impacted the market?
- How long will the market take to recover? What are the opportunities now?
- How will political context and shifting cultural values shape future growth?
- Where is future growth expected to be most dynamic?
Credit Cards in China - Category analysis
Credit Cards in China - Company Profile
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Digital wallets and point-of-sale credit erode credit card relevance
Cautious consumer sentiment undermines progress for credit cards in China
Chinese consumers unconvinced by value of credit cards
Credit card transactions set to resume growth over the forecast period
Credit card non-performing rate set to alleviate, while inbound travel card payments rise
Competitive landscape remains steady, with Mastercard accelerating product offerings
China Merchant Bank boasts most credit cards in circulation, and tourists benefit from digital wallets
Debit Cards in China - Category analysis
Debit Cards in China - Company Profile
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Debit cards extend reach as everyday payments stay wallet-led
Debit cards sees further growth as rural access expands
Debit card transactions lead in China, with consumers combining card functions
Debit cards likely to remain preferred option within consumer payments
Multi-currency debit card set to gain traction
Competitive environment remains stable despite entry of American Express and Mastercard
Potential for rural-bank expansion
Pre-Paid Cards in China - Category analysis
Pre-Paid Cards in China - Company Profile
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Digital wallets and tighter oversight subvert growth for pre-paid cards
Pre-paid card market faces contraction in 2025
Pre-paid cards see limited use in China, despite increased personalisation
Pre-paid card transaction volumes to see marginal increase going forward
Regulatory environment likely to remain restrictive
Competitive landscape remains largely unchanged
Transport players as biggest operators in pre-paid cards
Financial Cards and Payments in China - Industry Overview
Debit-led mobile payments drive progress, while credit and prepaid lose relevance
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Debit cards remain favoured within financial cards and payments
Credit cards and pre-paid cards continue to lose ground
Non-performing loan (NPL) rate of credit cards sees improvement, while international payments are easier for inbound tourists
Debit cards to remain on top
Credit cards will see positive growth in forecast period
Pre-paid cards will record slight improvement
China UnionPay dominates landscape
China Merchant Bank benefits from direct foreign transactions, as newer players continue to rise
COUNTRY REPORTS DISCLAIMER
The following categories and subcategories are included:
Credit Card Transactions
- Commercial Credit Card Transactions
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- Average Personal Credit Card Balance
- Average Personal Credit Card Limit
- Personal Credit Card Utilisation
Credit Card Transactions
Credit cards allow for purchases against a preapproved line of credit. The account holder has the choice of whether to pay off the entire balance each month or opt for monthly instalments with the balance serving as revolving credit. If the cardholder decides to revolve a balance, the consumer pays interest. Credit cards can include affinity cards, reward cards and types of co-branded cards. Co-branded retailer cards—issued by retailers acting as financial institutions and without usage restrictions—are included in this category. Cards issued by a retailer with usage limited to a specific store within a predefined retail group fall under the store cards definition. Debit cards with an overdraft function are not counted as cards with a credit function. Payments are tracked based on the country of residence / account issuance and include outbound spend while excluding inbound spend.
See all of our definitionsWhy buy this report?
- Gain competitive intelligence about market leaders
- Track key industry trends, opportunities and threats
- Inform your marketing, brand, strategy and market development, sales and supply functions
This report originates from Passport, our Credit Card Transactions research and analysis database.
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