India adds 1.14 million credit cards in June as HDFC, SBI Cards lead

India’s credit-card base reached 121.5 million in June 2026 after its strongest monthly net additions in more than two years. Spending held above ₹2 lakh crore, with HDFC Bank and SBI Cards leading both issuance and transaction value.

— Filed Mon, 27 Jul, 2026, 00:58 IST · Source ET Small Business · Updated

India’s credit-card additions reached a more than two-year high in June, while spending stayed above Rs 2 lakh crore. HDFC Bank, SBI Cards, ICICI Bank and Federal Bank led issuance, reinforcing expanding card-payment capacity for Indian consumer retail.

Why this matters

The June issuance surge follows HDFC Bank’s July 1 SmartBuy voucher-reward cap and an industry pattern of banks cutting card rewards as margins shrink, showing card growth continues despite tighter economics.

Retail-company is accelerating, up 1,125,500% QoQ.