TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Credit card spending in Taiwan totaled NT$4.99 trillion (US$158.5 billion) last year, a 6.42% year-on-year increase, the Financial Supervisory Commission said Thursday.
According to the FSC, December transactions reached NT$453.7 billion, per CNA. As of the end of December, there were 32 credit card issuers, with about 60.49 million cards in circulation and 40.55 million active cards, per UDN.
FSC Banking Bureau Deputy Director General Chang Chia-kuei (張嘉魁) said December spending rose NT$57 billion from November to a record high for the month. The increase was mainly due to delayed postings from late November because of a weekend, as well as stronger year-end shopping demand and holiday effects, he explained.
Chang said full-year growth was driven by a change in consumer habits and a rise in contracted merchants, which boosted transaction volumes.
The FSC said non-cash payment transactions last year were about 8.72 billion, up 5.06% from a year earlier and surpassing the original 2026 target of eight billion transactions. Stored-value cards accounted for 41.58% of transactions, while credit cards made up 40.04%.
The value of non-cash transactions reached NT$8.74 trillion in 2025, up 5.3% year-on-year and about 87.4% of the NT$10 trillion target set for 2026. Credit cards accounted for the largest share at 57.05%, followed by ATM transfers for purchases at 24.45%.
Chang said non-cash payments are becoming more widespread, particularly among younger consumers, with small-value transactions on the rise. However, overall transaction value has not increased as quickly, and further efforts are needed to meet policy goals.
