03.04.2026, 09:26
The number of credit cards in the hands of Russians has dropped to a minimum
Source: OREANDA-NEWS
OREANDA-NEWS In February, Russians still had 95 million credit cards in their hands, which was the lowest since March 2023. This is reported by RIA Novosti with reference to the data of the Scoring Bureau.
The correction in the credit card market began later than in other lending segments, but since 2025, the recession has caught up with it. Experts cite the increase in the cost of servicing such a card as the main reason for the decline in the popularity of the product.
Since the end of 2024, financial institutions have almost doubled the full cost of the loan, from 26 to 48 percent. At the same time, the profitability of the business is still falling, because the number of those who repay the debt during the grace period is increasing. Since the bank does not receive interest on borrowed funds, it does not have any profit from this practice.
Earlier it was reported that in February 2026, the average limit on new credit cards decreased by 12.9 percent, from 112.6 to 98.1 thousand rubles. At the same time, in January, the number of credit card approvals decreased by 22 percent, to 803.6 thousand.
The correction in the credit card market began later than in other lending segments, but since 2025, the recession has caught up with it. Experts cite the increase in the cost of servicing such a card as the main reason for the decline in the popularity of the product.
Since the end of 2024, financial institutions have almost doubled the full cost of the loan, from 26 to 48 percent. At the same time, the profitability of the business is still falling, because the number of those who repay the debt during the grace period is increasing. Since the bank does not receive interest on borrowed funds, it does not have any profit from this practice.
Earlier it was reported that in February 2026, the average limit on new credit cards decreased by 12.9 percent, from 112.6 to 98.1 thousand rubles. At the same time, in January, the number of credit card approvals decreased by 22 percent, to 803.6 thousand.
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