BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, December 8. The number of Visa cards in circulation in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan's capital, increased year-on-year from January through September 2023, Trend reports.
Data from the National Bank of Kyrgyzstan indicates that the total count of Visa cards in Bishkek stood at 2,117,815 as of September 30, 2023, which is a 75-percent surge compared to the same period in 2022, which recorded 1,205,130 cards.
Not only did the quantity of Visa cards increase, but their proportion also slightly expanded. By the end of September 2022, Visa cards in Bishkek accounted for 70.2 percent of the total Visa cards in circulation. By late September this year, this figure rose to 71.62 percent.
Bishkek's share in the overall number of cards in circulation across Kyrgyzstan also saw an increase, reaching 48.8 percent compared to 44.9 percent reported during the reporting months of 2022.
As of September 30, 2023, Kyrgyzstan had a total of 2.956 million Visa payment cards in circulation, constituting 46.61 percent of the total cards. The figure represents a 73-percent increase over the 1.704 million cards (36.6 percent of the total) reported on the same date in 2022.