BEIJING — The non-cash payments handled by Chinese banks maintained steady growth in the third quarter of 2021, with mobile payments sustaining growth momentum, according to a central bank report.

Non-cash payments, involving bank cards, online payment vehicles, commercial papers, credit transfer and other settlements, stood at 1,109.19 trillion yuan (about $174 trillion) in the third quarter, up 6.32 percent year-on-year, the People's Bank of China said in the report.

Of the total, mobile payments sustained an upward trend to 126.81 trillion yuan, up 8.62 percent year-on-year.

Meanwhile, online payments gained 6.45 percent year-on-year to 587.21 trillion yuan, the report showed.

In the third quarter, bank card transactions climbed 6.45 percent from a year ago to hit 250.93 trillion yuan, according to the report.