深圳经济特区建设初期，在深港扩大金融合作的背景下，深圳金融业作出了众多敢为人先的尝试。其中，香港南洋商业银行（下称“南商”）首次在中国内地市场发行的“发达卡”，率先拉开了内地信用卡发展的序幕，成就了深圳金融业历史性的跨越。

At the early stage of the construction of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, the city’s financial industry took many bold actions to expand cooperation with Hong Kong. Among them, the Hong Kong Nanyang Commercial Bank (NCB) issued the Federal Card for the first time on the Chinese mainland, which initiated the mainland’s development of credit cards and enabled Shenzhen’s financial industry to achieve a historic leap.

改革开放之后，越来越多的港澳同胞、华侨和外国友人频繁出入深圳，或旅行，或商务。当时，深圳所有的消费必须使用人民币现金或旅行支票，货币兑换基础设施并不完善，无法为境外人士提供便利的货币兑换服务。为填补外汇汇兑业务短板，突破外贸经济发展限制，深圳积极探索深港之间的金融往来，与南商开展合作。

After the reform and opening up, more and more compatriots from Hong Kong and Macao, overseas Chinese and foreign friends frequently visited Shenzhen. At that time, all purchases in Shenzhen could be made only in RMB cash or with traveler’s checks, and the currency exchange infrastructure was not adequate. In order to fill the shortage of foreign exchange business and break through the restrictions on the development of foreign trade, Shenzhen actively explored financial exchanges with Hong Kong and carried out cooperation with NCB.

南商成立于1949年12月，由爱国侨胞庄世平先生创办，是港澳地区与内地发展金融业务的银行。20世纪80年代，随着内地经济的发展和对外开放政策的推行，南商决定将信用卡业务拓展到内地，以配合内地信用卡业务的发展。1981年1月，经过友好协商，中国银行总行和南商达成了如下协议：中国银行总行接受南商委托，在国内指定地区的分支行或单位办理“发达卡”兑现手续。

Founded in December 1949 by Chuang Shih-ping, a patriotic overseas Chinese, NCB was a bank for financial services between the mainland and the Hong Kong and Macao regions. With the economic development of the mainland and the implementation of the reform and opening-up policies in the 1980s, NCB decided to expand its credit card business to the mainland. The head office of the Bank of China and NCB reached an agreement in January 1981 after friendly negotiations: The head office of the Bank of China accepted the authorization of NCB to handle the cashing procedures of the Federal Card at the branches or units in specified areas on the mainland.

“发达卡”是南商在内地发行的第一张信用卡，英文译名为FEDERALCARD，意为“联合”。“联合”是南商对“发达卡”的寄寓，意为希望兄弟行能一起加入发行发达卡的行列，联合扩大内地信用卡的发展规模。

The Federal Card was the first credit card issued by NCB on the mainland. The word “federal” carried NCB’s beautiful wishes that more banks would join it in issuing Federal Cards and expanding the development of credit cards on the mainland.

1982年3月，为方便外宾、华侨及港澳同胞在内地的业务往来，中国银行深圳分行经总行的批准，同意南商办理“发达卡”的兑现业务。这意味着“发达卡”在深圳的面世。除了在港澳地区通行外，“发达卡”还可在内地的指定银行提现，部分内地的特约单位还能接受“发达卡”直接购物的功能，且不另收卡户手续费。

One year later, in order to facilitate the business of foreigners, overseas Chinese and compatriots from Hong Kong and Macao, the Shenzhen branch of the Bank of China, with the consent of the head office, approved NCB’s Federal Card cashing business. This resulted in the roll-out of the Federal Card in Shenzhen.

《同意办理你行“发达卡”兑现业务事》

“The approval of applying for the Federal Card.”

“发达卡”的通行不仅为深圳的对外贸易发展注入了活力，还促进了内地银行信用业务的兴起和发展。1985年6月，中国银行珠海分行发行了国内第一张人民币信用卡——“中银卡”。1995年，广发银行推出了符合国际标准的VISA信用卡。随着内地信用卡的发展，人们逐渐敞开怀抱，迎接信用社会的到来。

The adoption of the Federal Card not only injected vitality into the development of Shenzhen’s foreign trade, but also promoted the emergence and development of credit business on the mainland. In June 1985, the Zhuhai branch of the Bank of China issued the first RMB credit card in China – the BOC Card. In 1995, China Guangfa Bank launched a VISA credit card that met international standards. As the credit card business evolved, an increasing number of people started to use credit cards and embraced the arrival of a credit society.

如今，信用卡“先消费、后还款”的消费模式已经深入民众生活的方方面面，资金的取现已不再成为人们消费或投资的掣肘。“发达卡”为内地与香港之间搭起一座桥梁，让外商走向内地，让中国企业走出海外，对深圳乃至全国金融业的发展都具有举足轻重的作用。

Nowadays, the consumption mode of “spend first, pay later” has penetrated into people’s daily lives. The Federal Card built a bridge between the mainland and Hong Kong, allowing foreign investors to enter the mainland and Chinese enterprises to go overseas, which played a pivotal role in the development of the financial industry both for Shenzhen and for the whole country.

今日互动：您在日常生活中，使用信用卡吗？您有关于信用卡的使用心得可以分享吗？欢迎留言分享，小i将在留言中选取幸运儿送出小礼物。

Today's topic: Do you use credit cards in your daily life? Do you have any experiences of using  credit cards to share? Feel free to leave your comments and lucky people will receive gifts. 

来源：深圳市档案馆、i深圳

Source: Shenzhen Archives, iShenzhen

编译：深圳政府在线、Shenzhen Daily、GDToday

Transedited by: Shenzhen Government Online, Shenzhen Daily, GDToday