Dominican middle class uses credit card to finance itself

Middle- and low-income Dominican households more frequently resort to credit cards as a way to obtain liquidity to cover daily expenses or face unforeseen events, while people with higher incomes tend to use them mainly as a means of payment, without the need to finance their consumption.

This is revealed by a report by the Superintendency of Banks (SB), which shows that cardholders with lower incomes are the ones who are most likely to finance their balance sheets, that is, not to pay the total debt at the time of the cut-off. In the case of people who earn up to RD$12,500 per month, 47.2% of card loans remain financed. In the income range between RD$12,501 and RD$32,500, this proportion is 45.6%. Both segments outperform higher-income users by more than eight percentage points.

The report also indicates that, as of September 2025, the largest number of new loans granted through credit cards were concentrated among people with formal monthly incomes between RD$12,501 and RD$32,500. This group represents more than 50% of the country’s formal working class, according to income data reported to the Social Security Treasury (TSS).

These results are part of the “Quarterly Report on the Performance of the Financial System” of the Superintendency of Banks, which analyzes the main indicators of the sector and evaluates the behavior of the credit card portfolio according to the income level of users. The study provides a more detailed look at how different groups of the population use and manage credit.

Regarding non-payment, the report points out that delinquency is higher among lower-income segments. People without registered formal income have the highest rates, followed by those who receive low salaries. As of September 2025, delinquencies of more than 90 days reached 8.1% among those earning RD$12,500 or less, and 7.3% in the range of RD$12,501 to RD$32,500.

On the other hand, in the higher-income segments, delinquency is considerably lower. Among those who earn between RD$65,000 and RD$100,000 per month, the rate stands at 3.1%, while in incomes above RD$100,000 it drops to 1.5%. For salaries between RD$32,501 and RD$65,000, the delinquency rate is 5.0%.

The report also details that the total balance of the credit card portfolio reached RD$127,116 million (5.4% of the total portfolio) as of September 2025, leading the dynamism of credit in the financial system with a year-on-year growth of 13.9% in the third quarter of 2025. The rate of change in the rate of change represents a slowdown of -17.2 p.p. compared to the pace observed in 2024 (+31.1%). The SB explained that “the results do not point to an over-indebtedness of Dominican households, but to a market that expands by going through its natural cycle process.”