TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's credit card market continues to demonstrate robust growth despite seasonal fluctuations, the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC, 金管會), Taiwan's financial regulatory authority, announced Thursday (June 12). April's credit card spending reached NT$373.3 billion (approximately US$12.65 billion), representing a slight monthly decline of NT$3.9 billion (about US$132.2 million) but still setting a record high for April in Taiwan's financial history. The island's credit card circulation expanded significantly, with 400,000 new cards entering the market and bringing the total to approximately 59.39 million cards by month's end.
The regulatory body further reported that active card usage showed significant momentum, increasing by 170,000 to approximately 39.42 million cards in circulation. Credit card spending for April demonstrated a year-over-year growth of 3.78%, while the cumulative January-to-April expenditure reached NT$1.4844 trillion (US$50.31 billion), representing a robust annual growth rate of 5.48%. Wang Yun-chung (王允中), deputy director-general of the Banking Bureau at the FSC, attributed this growth to changing consumer habits, noting that despite April typically being a consumption low season, Taiwanese consumers are increasingly adopting credit cards as their preferred payment method.
Among Taiwan's financial institutions, E.SUN Bank (玉山銀) dominated the new card issuance market with an impressive 552,000 cards distributed to consumers. CTBC Bank (中信銀) secured a distant second position with 89,000 new cards issued during the same period. The competitive landscape among Taiwan's remaining major banks showed a tight race, with Cathay United Bank (國泰世華銀) issuing 44,000 cards, followed closely by Taishin International Bank (台新銀) with 43,000 cards and Taipei Fubon Bank (北富銀) rounding out the top five with 42,000 new cards.
Despite trailing in new card issuance, Cathay United Bank established market dominance in transaction volume, claiming the highest monthly credit card spending at NT$66.82 billion (US$2.26 billion). CTBC Bank maintained its strong market position with NT$64.1 billion (US$2.17 billion) in monthly transactions, securing second place in the competitive financial landscape. Taiwan's credit card spending hierarchy was completed by Taipei Fubon Bank (北富銀), E.SUN Bank (玉山銀), and Taishin International Bank (台新銀), which collectively demonstrated the concentrated nature of the island's consumer financial services sector amid growing digital payment adoption. ◼