The total number of personal credit cards and debit cards issued by local banks increased in the fourth quarter of 2021, the Macao Monetary Authority (AMCM) has announced.
There was also an increase in the turnover of credit cards and debit cards from the previous quarter, and a continuous rise in “the number and the value” of local mobile payment tools transactions.
The AMCM noted that the total number of personal credit cards issued by local banks stood at 1,538,947 at the end of December, an increase of 1.9 per cent over the previous quarter. The total number of debit cards issued by local banks reached 1,951,643, up by 1.6 per cent from the previous quarter.
At the end of December, credit card limit granted by local banks reached MOP 45 billion, up by 0.4 per cent from the end of September. Credit card receivables also totalled MOP 2.6 billion, while the rollover amount totalled MOP 752.9 million, representing 29 per cent of credit card receivables.
The delinquency ratio decreased by “0.06 percentage points to 2.3 per cent” when compared to the end of September.
In the fourth quarter, the credit card turnover was MOP 5.3 billion, a 9.8 per cent increase quarter-to-quarter. The cash advance turnover was MOP 158.3 million, “occupying 3 per cent of total credit card turnover”. The AMCM added that the number of credit card transactions rose by 13.9 per cent from the previous quarter, reaching 8 million.
Credit card repayments, including payments for interest and fees, increased by 5.3 per cent from the previous quarter to MOP 5.4 billion.
The number of debit card transactions other than cash withdrawals rose by 4.7 per cent from the previous quarter to 4,372,000. The debit card turnover totalled MOP 1.1 billion, an increase of 16.4 per cent from the previous quarter.
The Authority said that transactions via local mobile payment tools increased by 5.4 per cent to 56.9 million in the fourth quarter. The transaction value reached MOP 5.7 billion, up by 8.5 per cent from the third quarter.
The AMCM pointed out that the average amount per transaction was MOP 101.1 at the end of December, while “mobile payment terminals and QR code signs” amounted to 909,000, expanding by 8.1 per cent quarter-to-quarter.
