India’s top four credit card issuers recorded a combined spending of nearly Rs 1.58 lakh crore in July 2026, underscoring the dominance of major banks in the country’s expanding card payments market. HDFC Bank, SBI Card, ICICI Bank, and Axis Bank continued to account for the bulk of transactions as overall card usage stayed above the Rs 2 lakh crore mark for the third straight month.
HDFC Bank Leads the Pack
HDFC Bank remained India’s largest credit card issuer by spending in July 2026, with transactions worth approximately Rs 60,218 crore. The bank captured nearly 28.9% of the country’s total credit card spending, recording a 1.3% increase from June and an 11.9% rise year-on-year.
SBI Card Holds Strong Despite Monthly Dip
SBI Card reported around Rs 39,592 crore in credit card spending during July 2026. While spending slipped 3.6% from June, the issuer still logged robust annual growth of roughly 21.6%. SBI Card held about 19% of the overall credit card spending market, according to industry data.
ICICI Bank Shows Strong Monthly Recovery
ICICI Bank’s credit card spending reached approximately Rs 34,025 crore in July 2026. The lender posted one of the strongest monthly recoveries among the leading issuers, with spending climbing 8.3% from June. However, July spending remained below the year-ago level, based on RBI data.
Axis Bank Posts Solid Monthly Growth
Axis Bank recorded around Rs 23,825 crore in credit card spending during July. Its spending rose 7.4% month-on-month, a stronger monthly performance than HDFC Bank and SBI Card. Axis accounted for about 11.4% of total industry spending, and its credit card base remained among India’s largest.
India’s Total Credit Card Spending Remains Above Rs 2 Lakh Crore
Overall credit card spending in India reached roughly Rs 2.08 lakh crore in July 2026, up 3.4% from June and 7.4% from July 2025. The total stayed above the Rs 2 lakh crore threshold for the third consecutive month, signaling continued momentum in card-based payments.
Credit Card Base Continues to Expand
India had around 12.29 crore credit cards outstanding by July 2026. Banks added a net 1.26 million cards during the month, an 11.5% increase over June additions. Transaction volumes climbed 24.5% year-on-year to about 60.5 crore, while the average transaction value declined to nearly Rs 3,440.