The Chilean market for debit and credit cards—both banking and non-banking—continued to expand in the first half of 2025, according to the report Credit and Debit Card Market in 2015–2025. The report, based on financial statements of issuers and brands, official information from the CMF, and proprietary surveys by RankingsLatAm, highlights shifting competitive dynamics and notable differences in consumer behavior across payment instruments
.In the debit card segment, Banco del Estado de Chile consolidated its leadership alongside Banco de Chile, Banco de Crédito e Inversiones, Banco Falabella, and Banco Santander-Chile. The number of debit cards reached 29.2 million at the close of June 2025, up 1.9% year-on-year. Most of these were primary cards, which increased 2.0% to 28.8 million, while additional cards fell 5.5% to 353,138. Transaction volumes demonstrated solid momentum: overall debit card operations rose 10.4% to 2.41 billion, with ATM withdrawals climbing 4.9% to 184.7 million and purchase transactions growing 10.9% to 2.23 billion. In value terms, debit card transactions reached 47.6 trillion pesos, equivalent to USD 50.97 billion, supported by an average exchange rate of 933 pesos per dollar. This represents an annual increase of 8.5%, with ATM withdrawals contributing USD 12.44 billion (+3.2%) and purchases USD 38.53 billion (+10.3%).
The credit card business showed a stronger pace of expansion. Total cards in circulation rose 3.3% to 16.2 million, of which 14.5 million were primary cards (+2.9%) and 1.65 million were additional cards (+7.2%). Leading banking issuers include CMR Falabella, CAT Administradora de Tarjetas, Banco de Chile, Banco Santander-Chile, and CAR, while non-banking issuers such as Solventa, Tricard S.A., Tempo Payments S.A., LP S.A., and Inversiones y Tarjetas S.A. remain significant players in their respective niches.
Consumer use of credit cards accelerated sharply: transactions increased 11.6% to 502.4 million. Within this, cash advances recorded extraordinary growth of 106.6% to 8.47 million operations, contrasting with a slight 0.4% contraction in service charges. Purchases, the dominant category, rose 11.7% to 432.6 million. In value, credit card transactions totaled 25.8 trillion pesos, or USD 27.66 billion, up 9.3% from a year earlier. Purchases contributed USD 23.47 billion (+8.3%), while cash advances surged to USD 2.15 billion (+16.2%). Service charges added USD 1.14 billion, reflecting moderate growth of 4.9%.
Overall, the Chilean card payments market remains resilient, with debit cards sustaining broad penetration and credit cards showing dynamic growth, particularly in cash advances. The figures illustrate both the continued trust in banking institutions and the role of non-banking issuers in diversifying consumer access to credit. As competition intensifies among major banks and retail-driven issuers, the market is poised to evolve further in the coming quarters.