CFPB credit-card dashboard shows 8.6 million new cards and 15.6% annual growth
U.S. lenders originated 8.6 million general-purpose credit cards in December 2025 with a combined $46.5 billion in new credit limits, according to a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau dashboard updated in July 2026.
The number of new cards was 15.6% higher than a year earlier. The dashboard measures cards used for purchases, day-to-day expenses and cash advances.
Inquiries fell while the credit-tightness index eased
Credit-card inquiries were 7.6% lower in April 2026 than a year earlier. The CFPB’s credit-tightness index was down 1.1% year over year in February; that index tracks consumers who had a hard inquiry but did not open a subsequent account.
A lower tightness index can reflect a smaller share of applicants failing to obtain new credit after an inquiry, but the measure does not explain why the index changed or guarantee approval for an individual borrower.
The dashboard has a reporting lag
The CFPB updates the dashboards monthly using a nationally representative sample of records from one nationwide consumer reporting agency. The headline origination figures currently refer to December 2025, while inquiry and tightness measures use later reference months.
Sources
- Credit Cards Consumer Credit Trends Dashboard, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Consumer Credit Trends, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
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