Ecuador Credit Card Base Reaches 4.63M Active Cards As First-Time Users Rise
Finance

Ecuador Credit Card Base Reaches 4.63M Active Cards As First-Time Users Rise

Chip MorenoChip Moreno||Source: El Comercio

Ecuador's formal consumer-credit market continued expanding in 2025, with 4,631,677 credit cards recording consumption between January and December, El Comercio reported, citing Aval Buró and the Superintendencia de Bancos.

The report said the stock represented 4.9% annual growth and that more than 61,000 Ecuadorians obtained a credit card for the first time.

Data Snapshot

IndicatorReported Figure
Credit cards with consumption4,631,677
Annual growth4.9%
First-time cardholdersMore than 61,000

Business Relevance

The expansion supports retail consumption, bank fee income and formal credit scoring. It also raises the importance of monitoring delinquency, revolving balances and household income pressure as banks push deeper into first-time borrower segments.

What to watch

Track Superintendencia de Bancos delinquency data, bank consumer-loan margins and whether card growth translates into durable formal-credit relationships or short-cycle household leverage.

Source: El Comercio

Source

El Comercio — "Más de 61 000 ecuatorianos obtuvieron por primera vez una tarjeta de crédito"

View original
bankingcredit cardsAsobanca
Companies: Aval Buró, Asobanca
Regions: Ecuador
Share
Research Support

Support daily Ecuador business intelligence.

Research support funds source monitoring, data checks, editing, publishing, and sector coverage for professionals tracking Ecuador.

Daily Briefing

Ecuador business intelligence, delivered at 6 AM ECT.

Related Coverage

Finance

Ecuador Economy Grew 2% in the First Half, With Services and Manufacturing Leading

The Central Bank says Ecuador's economy grew 2% year over year from January through June 2026. Services, manufacturing, construction, and commerce expanded, while petroleum, mining, and primary production contracted.

Primicias|
Finance

Only 18 Ecuadorian Car-Purchase Plan Firms Meet the Reported Legal Requirements

Ecuador’s programmed vehicle-purchase market has 7,669 contracts so far in 2026, but a trade group says only 18 companies meet the relevant capital and compliance requirements. The warning matters for consumers and financial operators.

Primicias|
Finance

Ecuador’s New Household Basket Now Tracks 98 Goods and Services

Ecuador’s INEC updated the basic household basket from 75 to 98 goods and services. The July 2026 reference cost is USD 825.17, with food and beverages plus housing and services representing about 77% of the total.

Primicias|
Finance

Ecuador Builds a Biodiversity-Finance Pipeline Before It Has a Deal Pipeline

Ecuadorian companies from aquaculture, agriculture, forestry, circular economy, and ecotourism are preparing to use biodiversity-linked financing. The current signal is capability-building and instrument design, not a newly announced issuance.

Expreso|
Finance

Ecuador Digital Payments Scale As Cash Withdrawals Drop 22% In 2025

Ecuador’s private-bank cash withdrawals from savings accounts fell 22% in 2025, while POS and electronic payment channels grew 35% over two years. Digital channels now account for 67.7% of transaction count and 67% of amount moved, signaling a structural shift in retail payments and banking usage.

El Universo|
Opens WhatsApp with a pre-filled message