UK Consumer Credit Growth Slightly Above Forecasts

Net borrowing of consumer credit by individuals in the UK rose to £1.69 billion in August 2025, from an upwardly revised £1.67 billion in July and above market expectations of a £1.6 billion increase. It was the strongest increase in four months, as net borrowing through other forms of consumer credit such as car dealership finance and personal loans slightly increased to £1.0 billion in August from £0.9 billion in July. Conversely, net borrowing through credit cards slightly decreased to £0.7 billion in August, from £0.8 billion in July. The annual growth rate for all consumer credit increased slightly to 7.1% in August, from 7.0% in July. Over the same period, the annual growth rate for credit card borrowing rose to 10.5% from 10.1%, and the annual growth rate for other forms of consumer credit slightly increased to 5.7% from 5.6%.