Overview
- Outstanding balances on credit cards reached ARS 21.9 trillion in October, up 63.4% year over year and 1.3% month over month in nominal terms, according to First Capital Group.
- Credit-card use is matching or topping debit, with August logging 180.4 million credit operations worth ARS 9.4 trillion versus 178 million debit worth ARS 4.7 trillion, Banco Central data show.
- Credit now accounts for 46.2% of card operations in 2025, up from 13.3% in 2022, marking a shift toward financing daily expenses rather than discretionary buys.
- The Banco Central reports 14.6 million people with credit-card debt—39.6% of adults—highlighting the breadth of household exposure.
- Use of minimum payments is increasing as banks set their own rates after the cap’s removal, exposing users to triple‑digit costs—such as a 105.30% TNA and 127.41% annual CFT at Banco Macro—despite initial post‑election cuts to benchmark rates.