South Korean card issuers' lending rose 9.0% year on year to 56.1 trillion won ($40.6 billion) in the first half of 2026, according to Financial Supervisory Service data released Aug. 27. Long-term card loans jumped 20.9% to 28 trillion won as industry observers cited debt-financed investing demand amid a buoyant but volatile stock market. Short-term cash advances fell 0.8% to 28.1 trillion won. Combined credit- and debit-card spending increased 6.7% to 635.3 trillion won, helping eight dedicated card issuers lift net profit 5.6% to 1.29 trillion won. Delinquency indicators worsened modestly, although the non-performing loan ratio improved to 1.13%. The 189 non-card specialized credit finance companies reported a 25.4% increase in net profit to 2.24 trillion won, driven by new technology finance and securities-related income.