According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, the total number of personal credit cards issued by banks in Macao registered a quarterly decline whereas the total number of debit cards rose in the first quarter of 2021. Both the credit card and debit card turnover witnessed quarterly decreases. On the other hand, the number and value of transactions of local mobile payment tools continued to rise quarter-to-quarter.
Payment cards issued
The total number of personal credit cards issued by banks in Macao stood at 1,476,265 at end-March 2021, a decrease of 1.2% from the previous quarter but an increase of 2.0% from a year ago. The total number of debit cards issued by banks in Macao reached 1,799,924, representing a growth of 0.2% over the previous quarter or 9.5% year-on-year.
Credit limit granted and delinquency
At end-March 2021, credit card credit limit granted by banks in Macao reached MOP43.7 billion, up 0.1% from end-December 2020. Credit card receivables amounted to MOP2.5 billion, of which the rollover amount totalled MOP801.7 million, representing 32.7% of credit card receivables. The delinquency ratio, i.e. the ratio of delinquent amount overdue for more than three months to credit card receivables, rose 0.2 percentage points to 2.3% when compared with end-December 2020.
Turnover and repayment
For the first quarter of 2021, the credit card turnover totalled MOP5.5 billion, a drop of 3.1% quarter-to-quarter but a rise of 19.2% year-on-year. The cash advance turnover was MOP171.3 million, occupying 3.1% of total credit card turnover. The number of credit card transactions reached 7.0 million, up 1.4% from the previous quarter. Credit card repayments, in which payments for interest and fees are included, increased 7.5% from the previous quarter or 5.0% from the same period last year to MOP5.8 billion. On the other hand, the number of debit card transactions other than cash withdrawals fell 6.5% from the previous quarter to 703.1 thousand. The debit card turnover totalled MOP1.3 billion, a decrease of 21.7% quarter-to-quarter but an increase of 57.3% year-on-year.
Mobile payment
The number of transactions carried out by local mobile payment tools grew by 40.9% from the previous quarter to 34.7 million in the first quarter of 2021. The transaction value reached MOP3.1 billion, up 31.5% from the last three months of 2020. The average amount per transaction was MOP88.2. At end-March 2021, the number of mobile payment terminals and QR code signs totalled 76.7 thousand, a rise of 9.1% quarter-to-quarter.