+

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.

Close
HomeQuizzoneWhatsappShare Flash Reads
 

ICICI Bank leaves SBI behind in credit card spends as it chases HDFC Bank in pole position

Oct 6, 2021, 16:13 IST
bccl
  • The private sector lender saw credit card spends more than double in August, compared to a 40% growth seen by SBI.
  • ICICI Bank has grabbed market share from HDFC Bank that was banned from launching new credit cards until August.
  • The ban on Mastercard, which ICICI Bank has less exposure to, also helped in boosting spends ahead of the festive season.
  • Check out the latest news and updates on Business Insider.
Advertisement
As fear of a third Covid-19 wave in India eased and festive sales began, ICICI Bank surpassed State Bank of India in credit card spends in August.

The private sector lender saw a 127% growth in its credit card spends in August, compared to last year. On the other hand, SBI had to make peace with a much slower growth of 40%, as per the latest data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Flourish

There are at least two reasons why ICICI Bank’s credit cards are getting swiped so often now.

RBI had banned HDFC Bank from issuing credit cards in December last year due to multiple glitches in its digital banking system over the past two years. Even as the curb was lifted in August, it gave an opportunity to other lenders, including ICICI Bank, to grab credit card market share from HDFC Bank.

flourish

Advertisement

“The growth in ICICI Bank credit card spends having surpassed SBI can also be attributed to higher spends per credit card due to quality of customers,” said Parijat Garg, an independent digital lending consultant.

"Even as the number of cards issued by SBI and ICICI Bank have been largely similar, clearly ICICI Bank has seen higher credit card spends ahead of the festive season due to a better quality of customers that made higher-value transactions per card, compared to SBI customers,” he said.

Among other lenders, IndusInd Bank Ltd. also saw its credit card spends more than double in August compared to last year, while market leader HDFC Bank Ltd. saw a 28% year-on-year increase.

Top banks by credit card spends
As of Aug. 2021Credit Card Spends (in Rs Crore)YoY increase (in %)MoM increase (in %)
HDFC Bank2059528%-1%
ICICI Bank15256127%6%
State Bank Of India1455040%1%
Axis Bank683069%11%
CitiBank India3845127%10%
IndusInd Bank365548%11%
RBL Bank347150%1%
American Express250533%12%
Kotak Mahindra Bank203922%6%
Standard Chartered Bank107141%1%
Total7773354%4%
Source: RBI

On an overall basis, credit card spends rose 54% to ₹77,733 crore in August, compared to last year. Compared to July, the preceding month, however, the growth seemed tepid as overall credit card spends grew just 4%.

Advertisement
The growth was partly due to a low base effect, as lockdown curbs affected mobility during August last year, which saw nearly two million Covid-19 cases and 28,000 virus deaths-- the highest monthly tally in the world since the pandemic began.

SEE ALSO:
Exclusive: First live pics of Triton Model H electric SUV leaked ahead of next week’s launch
#JioDown: Reliance Jio network goes down in certain circles, users report they cannot use internet or make calls
India's largest two-wheeler maker, biggest beer brewer and aluminum producer are smaller than startups like Byju's, Paytm, and OYO
You are subscribed to notifications!
Looks like you've blocked notifications!
Next Article