Sri Lanka’s total number of active credit cards saw a 5.2% increase by the third quarter of the year, from the numbers recorded by the end of 2024, data from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Weekly Economic Indicators for 21 November shows.

The number of active credit cards reached 2,117,378 in September this year, from the 2,008,456 active cards recorded in Q4 of 2024, the bulletin said.

Further, the outstanding balance of credit cards saw a 4.8% increase in Q3, with a recorded increase from Q4 balance at Rs. 157,957 million to Rs. 165,652 million in September.

Sri Lanka’s Payment Bulletin for the third quarter of the year is yet to be released. The entire payment system processed 531.7 million transactions with a total value of Rs. 35,772.9 billion in Q2 2025.

Total card transactions in Q2 reached 129.8 million, with 108.3 million recorded debit card transactions. Credit card transactions reached 21.5 million – a 15.4% year-on-year increase. Transactions processed were recorded at Rs. 196.4 billion in Q2, a 12.8% year-on-year increase.

Overall, the total transaction volume of the payment system increased by 17.3% year-on-year to 531.7 million transactions in the second quarter of 2025. The total transaction value increased by 22.5% year-on-year to Rs. 35,772.9 billion in the same period.