AmBank Group in Malaysia will buy specialist credit card firm MBF Holdings and its Atox Cards and Jastura businesses for 623 million ringgit (A$192 million). The price agreed by AmBank - an associate of ANZ - includes goodwill of 411 million ringgit.The expanded business will rank thirds in the cards sector in Malaysia on the acquiring side. (AmBank previously held only a minor share in the merchant market). AMMB pick up 36,000 merchants through MBF taking its merchant numbers to 45,000. It will rank sixth on the issuing side. Citi is the market leader in the credit card sector in Malaysia. HSBC ranks fifth behind the three major local banks.The acquisition also includes MBF's one third stake in Bonuskad Loyalty, operator of a customer database (with seven million records) for the Bonuslink card loyalty scheme.In 2011 MBF Cards made a profit of 48 million ringgit on revenue of 266 million. Card receivables last year were 593 million ringgit. AmBank put the return on equity of MBF at 21.8 per cent and the return on assets at 5.4 per cent.MBF has agreements with China Union Pay and Japan Credit Bureau as well as with MasterCard and Visa.AmBank said the acquisition would lift earnings per share within 18 months.ANZ owns  a 24 per cent stake in AmBank.