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Macau financial institutions had issued 340,043 credit cards as of 31 March, up 10% from the 309,130 credit cards at the end of the first quarter of 2007, according to the Monetary Authority of Macau. Credit cardholders in Macau spent 9.3 billion patacas (US$1.15 billion or 774.8 million euros) with credit cards during the quarter, up 54.2% from 6.03 billion patacas during the same period last year. That figure includes spending by consumers from other countries. For consumers from Macau, credit card spending totaled 1.5 billion patacas, up 27.6% from 1.176 billion patacas, the authority says. Total credit card receivables stood at 900 million patacas at the end of the first quarter, up 12.7% from 798.5 million patacas a year earlier.
