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COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
Competitive environment remains stable despite entry of American Express and Mastercard
Although competitors such as American Express and Mastercard acquired their bankcard clearing licenses in China in 2020 and 2023, respectively, China UnionPay remains the dominant operator within debit cards. In 2025, an estimated over 99% of debit cards in circulation were issued by UnionPay, thanks to the combined factors of a state-backed national strategy and first-mover advantage.
Potential for rural-bank expansion
There is potential for rural banks to take further share over the forecast period, given rural players have better access than urban banks to remote communities and financially underserved populations. Moreover, rural areas offer greater potential for debit card spending compared with urban areas.
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Overview:
Understand the latest market trends and future growth opportunities for the Debit 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 Debit 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 Debit 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 Debit Card Transactions in China?
- What are the major trends key to understanding Debit 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
Table 1 Credit Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2020-2025
Table 2 Credit Cards Transactions 2020-2025
Table 3 Credit Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 4 Credit Cards Transactions: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 5 Commercial Credit Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2020-2025
Table 6 Commercial Credit Cards Transactions 2020-2025
Table 7 Commercial Credit Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 8 Commercial Credit Cards Transactions: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 9 Personal Credit Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2020-2025
Table 10 Personal Credit Cards Transactions 2020-2025
Table 11 Personal Credit Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 12 Personal Credit Cards Transactions: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 13 Credit Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 14 Credit Cards: Number of Cards by Operator 2020-2024
Table 15 Credit Cards Payment Transaction Value by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 16 Credit Cards Payment Transaction Value by Operator 2020-2024
Table 17 Commercial Credit Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 18 Commercial Credit Cards: Number of Cards by Operator 2020-2024
Table 19 Commercial Credit Cards Payment Transaction Value by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 20 Commercial Credit Cards Payment Transaction Value by Operator 2020-2024
Table 21 Personal Credit Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 22 Personal Credit Cards: Number of Cards by Operator 2020-2024
Table 23 Personal Credit Cards Payment Transaction Value by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 24 Personal Credit Cards Payment Transaction Value by Operator 2020-2024
Table 25 Forecast Credit Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2025-2030
Table 26 Forecast Credit Cards Transactions 2025-2030
Table 27 Forecast Credit Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2025-2030
Table 28 Forecast Credit Cards Transactions: % Growth 2025-2030
Table 29 Forecast Commercial Credit Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2025-2030
Table 30 Forecast Commercial Credit Cards Transactions 2025-2030
Table 31 Forecast Commercial Credit Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2025-2030
Table 32 Forecast Commercial Credit Cards Transactions: % Growth 2025-2030
Table 33 Forecast Personal Credit Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2025-2030
Table 34 Forecast Personal Credit Cards Transactions 2025-2030
Table 35 Forecast Personal Credit Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2025-2030
Table 36 Forecast Personal Credit Cards Transactions: % Growth 2025-2030
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
Table 37 Debit Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2020-2025
Table 38 Debit Cards Transactions 2020-2025
Table 39 Debit Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 40 Debit Cards Transactions: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 41 Debit Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 42 Debit Cards: Number of Cards by Operator 2020-2024
Table 43 Debit Cards Payment Transaction Value by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 44 Debit Cards Payment Transaction Value by Operator 2020-2024
Table 45 Forecast Debit Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2025-2030
Table 46 Forecast Debit Cards Transactions 2025-2030
Table 47 Forecast Debit Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2025-2030
Table 48 Forecast Debit Cards Transactions: % Growth 2025-2030
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
Table 49 Pre-paid Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2020-2025
Table 50 Pre-paid Cards Transactions 2020-2025
Table 51 Pre-paid Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 52 Pre-paid Cards Transactions: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 53 Closed Loop Pre-paid Cards Transactions 2020-2025
Table 54 Closed Loop Pre-paid Cards Transactions: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 55 Open Loop Pre-paid Cards Transactions 2020-2025
Table 56 Open Loop Pre-paid Cards Transactions: % Growth 2020-2025
Table 57 Pre-paid Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 58 Pre-paid Cards: Number of Cards by Operator 2020-2024
Table 59 Pre-paid Cards Transaction Value by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 60 Pre-paid Cards Transaction Value by Operator 2020-2024
Table 61 Closed Loop Pre-paid Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 62 Closed Loop Pre-paid Cards: Number of Cards by Operator 2020-2024
Table 63 Closed Loop Pre-paid Cards Transaction Value by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 64 Closed Loop Pre-paid Cards Transaction Value by Operator 2020-2024
Table 65 Open Loop Pre-paid Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 66 Open Loop Pre-paid Cards: Number of Cards by Operator 2020-2024
Table 67 Open Loop Pre-paid Cards Transaction Value by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 68 Open Loop Pre-paid Cards Transaction Value by Operator 2020-2024
Table 69 Forecast Pre-paid Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2025-2030
Table 70 Forecast Pre-paid Cards Transactions 2025-2030
Table 71 Forecast Pre-paid Cards in Circulation: % Growth 2025-2030
Table 72 Forecast Pre-paid Cards Transactions: % Growth 2025-2030
Table 73 Forecast Closed Loop Pre-paid Cards Transactions 2025-2030
Table 74 Forecast Closed Loop Pre-paid Cards Transactions: % Growth 2025-2030
Table 75 Forecast Open Loop Pre-paid Cards Transactions 2025-2030
Table 76 Forecast Open Loop Pre-paid Cards Transactions: % Growth 2025-2030
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
Table 77 Number of POS Terminals: Units 2020-2025
Table 78 Number of ATMs: Units 2020-2025
Table 79 Value Lost to Fraud 2020-2025
Table 80 Card Expenditure by Location 2025
Table 81 Financial Cards in Circulation by Type: % Number of Cards 2020-2025
Table 82 Domestic versus Foreign Spend 2025
Table 83 Financial Cards by Category: Number of Cards in Circulation 2020-2025
Table 84 Financial Cards by Category: Number of Accounts 2020-2025
Table 85 Financial Cards Transactions by Category: Value 2020-2025
Table 86 Financial Cards by Category: Number of Transactions 2020-2025
Table 87 Consumer Payments by Category: Value 2020-2025
Table 88 Consumer Payments by Category: Number of Transactions 2020-2025
Table 89 M-Commerce by Category: Value 2020-2025
Table 90 M-Commerce by Category: % Value Growth 2020-2025
Table 91 Financial Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 92 Financial Cards: Number of Cards by Operator 2020-2024
Table 93 Financial Cards: Card Payment Transactions Value by Operator 2020-2024
Table 94 Financial Cards: Card Payment Transactions Value by Issuer 2020-2024
Table 95 Forecast Financial Cards by Category: Number of Cards in Circulation 2025-2030
Table 96 Forecast Financial Cards by Category: Number of Accounts 2025-2030
Table 97 Forecast Financial Cards Transactions by Category: Value 2025-2030
Table 98 Forecast Financial Cards by Category: Number of Transactions 2025-2030
Table 99 Forecast Consumer Payments by Category: Value 2025-2030
Table 100 Forecast Consumer Payments by Category: Number of Transactions 2025-2030
Table 101 Forecast M-Commerce by Category: Value 2025-2030
Table 102 Forecast M-Commerce by Category: % Value Growth 2025-2030
COUNTRY REPORTS DISCLAIMER
Summary 1 Research Sources
The following categories and subcategories are included:
Debit Card Transactions
- Commercial Debit Card Transactions
- Personal Debit Card Transactions
Debit Card Transactions
Debit cards merge the functionality of both an ATM card and direct payment from a bank account (a check substitute in some markets). A debit card allows the cardholder to receive cash and monitor account activity at an ATM machine, as well as pay for goods and services via a point-of-sale terminal. A debit card payment transaction involves the automatic withdrawal of funds from the cardholder’s demand deposit bank account (checking or giro). Since the funds are removed from a bank account, no interest is charged on payments. Payments are tracked based on the country of residence / account issuance and include outbound spend while excluding inbound spend.
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This report originates from Passport, our Debit Card Transactions research and analysis database.
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