According to the most recent study by Credibanco, transactions processed by the network in the first half of the year reported expenses of 26 billion pesos nationwide, a figure that represents an increase of 12.5% ​​compared to the same period of 2018, when A consumption of 23 billion pesos was recorded. The number of transactions made in this period (164 million) generated a greater growth with 20 percent. During these months, 43% of these operations were carried out with credit cards and 57% with debit cards, with an average amount of 152,000 pesos.

Regarding the behavior of the regions, it should be noted that 70% of the transactions for the first half of the year were carried out in the main cities. Specifically, the Colombian capital concentrated 44.7% of total consumption, followed by Medellín, which reported 10.7%, Cali with 6.4%, Barranquilla 4.6% and Cartagena with 2.7%.

Gustavo Leaño, president of Credibanco, said that “The consumption indicators for the first half of 2019 show that more and more Colombians prefer to make their purchases through electronic payment methods, which promote the substitution of the use of cash and encourage the formalization and financial inclusion of citizens ”.

The consumer segments in which Colombians made the most purchases were the supermarkets, fast food, service stations, AXDCS (Department Stores with Supermarket), payments through digital platforms and clothing, which had an index of consumption of 15.24%, 8.20%, 7.80%, 7.02%, 6.76% and 6.67%, respectively. The category of supermarkets was the one with the highest growth in transactions, with a 56% increase and a contribution of transactions in the marginal of 33.4%. This is mainly explained by the growth of the ‘hard discount’ and the impact of increasing its sales by receiving card payments.

On the other hand, digital purchases or purchases made in non-present environments reported a 15.4% increase in transactions compared to the previous year, representing 17.6% of processed transactions.

As for the month with the highest number of transactions, June was the one that reported the most representative electronic invoicing. During this period, consumption of more than four billion pesos was generated, that is, 15.74% more compared to the same month last year. It should be noted that the day of greatest consumption was Saturday, June 29, the day on which 196,000 million pesos were paid.