Overview
- CNBV figures published Wednesday show active credit‑card contracts fell from 39,040,512 in January to 38,975,139 in February, a net drop of 65,373.
- Compared with February last year, active contracts rose by 1,623,962 to 38,975,139, indicating the market is still expanding over the year.
- Several large lenders saw sharp monthly declines, with BanCoppel down 151,988 cards, HSBC down 46,107, Banamex down 13,530, and Banco Azteca down 6,537.
- Reporters attribute the dip to post‑holiday belt‑tightening known in Mexico as the cuesta de enero and to banks applying stricter approval standards.
- Digital banks such as Nu, Mercado Pago and Revolut kept gaining users, suggesting credit is moving between issuers and habits are changing rather than the market collapsing.