The issuance of credit cards has fallen to a minimum since April 2022

According to the OKB, from December 2024 to January 2025, the volume of credit card issues decreased by 21%, the total limit by 41%. During the past year, the total amount of limits approved on credit cards has decreased by 35%, to 135 billion rubles. At the same time, the average limit size on the card increased by 21% of the year, from 97 thousand rubles to 117 thousand rubles.

As the study showed, the number of credit cards issued constantly decreased, as of May 2024, when the Russians issued 2.44 million cards.

What is the reason? According to experts surveyed by Kommersant, the hard policy of the Central Bank was mainly influenced by the negative dynamics of the loan market.

• The credit cards that emit quantitatively are restricted by macroprudic limits, and the approved credit limits are reduced by the banks due to the requirements for the formation of reserves for the total, and not only the disposable volume of the limit, the analyst explained the newspaper of the financial market of Banki.ru Eryania Bochkina.

• Magomed Gamzaev, director of the Credit Directorate of the Financial Market, said that Macroprudentic limits have limited the issuance of credit products and the increase in boundaries for borrowers with a debt load exceeding 80%.

• Under such conditions, banks began to more strictly take future credit card holders and mainly focus on their solvency. This, says Bochkina, negatively affects the level of approval. In addition, to balance the product economy, banks worsen other card conditions, for example, commission commission and limited transfers, added the expert.

What will happen later? The tendency to reduce the issuance of credit cards will be preserved until the Central Bank’s policy will soften, experts say. At the same time, “a decrease in the key rate will not be enough to relive the credit card segment while maintaining specific restrictions for it,” Bochkina summarized.