07 May 2003 12:00am

The bank's credit card issuing and merchant acquiring business gained some ground relative to competitors, though the bank disclosed few details.

Credit card spending increased by 20.8 per cent in the March 2003 half compared with March 2002, while Eftpos terminals increased by 24 per cent and Eftpos transactions acquired increased by 22 per cent. But the bank did not publish any actual volumes of spending and merchant acquisitions.