Some 90 million UnionPay credit cards now on issue outside mainland China

SHANGHAI,-  UnionPay International, China’s only credit card provider, says  about 20 million more UnionPay cards were issued outside the Chinese mainland in 2017, increasing the total number of UnionPay cards issued outside mainland China to about 90 million. The transaction volume of these UnionPay cards grew by about 40% on-year.

According to the latest data, China has become the world's fourth largest inbound tourism market, receiving approximately 140 million tourists in 2017

UnionPay says it has become the No.1 bankcard brand in terms of card issuance in Laos, Mongolia and Myanmar. More than 4.1 million UnionPay cards have been issued in Pakistan, and 10 local banks in Russia have issued 1.3 million UnionPay cards.

It says more than 90% of transactions on UnionPay cards issued in Hong Kong, Macau, Pakistan, Southeast Asia and Central Asia happen locally, meaning that UnionPay has become a major payment method for residents in these markets.  www.unionpayintl.com (ATI).