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- Holiday shopping on luxury apparel and jewelry rose over 55%.
- Inbound travel spend increased by ~75%.
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Visa (www.Visa.com), a global leader in digital payments, today released its latest consumer spending insights for the 2025 Christmas holiday period in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), based on the Visa Consulting&Analytics Retail Spend Monitor. The data shows over 45% year-over-year increase in international travel spending on Visa premium consumer cards.
Highlights of the seasonal spending trends from the month of December 2025 include:
Inbound Travel
Spending by international Visa premium and non-premium cardholders grew, led by visitors to the DRC from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Zambia, the Czech Republic, and Portugal up by over 75%.
Outbound Travel
Complementing inbound activity, international travel spending from the DRC on Visa premium consumer cards was up 45%.Travel to popular destinations such as France, China, Morocco, and the USA increased by ~85% among Visa premium cardholders.
Luxury Retail Spending
In addition to increased travel activity, holiday retail shopping among Visa premium cardholders also grew, with spending on luxury apparel and jewelry rising over 55% among those traveling abroad.
Sophie Kafuti, Country Manager, DRC, Visa, said: “This Christmas holiday season, we saw increased international travel spending by consumers from the DRC. We also observed stronger holiday shopping activity, particularly in luxury categories. These findings reflect the key areas driving seasonal spend for consumers in the DRC. At Visa, we continue to support these trends by providing secure, seamless, and innovative payment solutions for consumers and businesses.”
The VCA Retail Spend Monitor was produced by Visa Consulting&Analytics (VCA), capturing total retail, travel, and experience-related activity during the winter holiday season (December 1–31, 2025) based on a subset of VisaNet data and complemented by survey-based estimates for other payment methods.
Nicolas Khoury, SVP, Head of Visa Consulting&Analytics, CEMEA, said: “Our VCA Retail Spend Monitor shows how this Christmas holiday season is shaping consumer behavior across travel and commerce experiences. Insights into spending trends help issuers and merchants design relevant offers and enhance engagement. At Visa Consulting&Analytics, we turn these insights into actionable strategies that help businesses respond effectively to changing behaviors.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Visa Inc..
Media Contact:
Yvan Guehi
Yguehi@visa.com
About Visa’s Retail Spend Monitor:
The Retail Spend Monitor provides insights on national retail sales across all payment types. The findings are based on a subset of aggregate retail sales activity in the Visa payments network, coupled with survey-based estimates for other forms of payment. This comprehensive analysis provides valuable insights into consumer spending behaviors and trends, aiding retailers in strategic planning and market positioning. Premium card definition – Following cards are mapped under Premium category- VISA PLATINUM, VISA INFINITE, VISA INFINITE PRIVILEGE, VISA SIGNATURE, VISA SIGNATURE PREFERRED, VISA ULTRA HIGH NET WORTH.
About Visa:
Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, sellers, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at www.Visa.com.
The views, opinions, and/or estimates, as the case may be (“views”), expressed herein are those of the Visa Consulting and Analytics team and do not necessarily reflect those of Visa executive management or other Visa employees and affiliates. This content is intended for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon for operational, marketing, legal, technical, tax, financial or other advice and do not in any way reflect actual or forecasted Visa operational or financial performance. Visa neither makes any warranty or representation as to the completeness or accuracy of the views contained herein, nor assumes any liability or responsibility that may result from reliance on such views. These views are often based on current market conditions and are subject to change without notice.
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