The non-cash payments handled by Chinese banks maintained steady growth in the first quarter (Q1) of this year, with online payments sustaining growth momentum, according to a central bank report.

Non-cash payments, involving bank cards, electronic payment vehicles, commercial papers, credit transfers and other settlements, stood at 1,149.85 trillion yuan (170 trillion U.S. dollars) in Q1, up 7.91 percent year on year, the People's Bank of China said in the report.

Among the electronic payment vehicles, online payments gained 5.72 percent year on year to 585.16 trillion yuan during the period.

Mobile payments hit 131.58 trillion yuan, up 1.11 percent year on year, the report showed.

In Q1, bank card transactions climbed 3.9 percent from last year to hit 264.9 trillion yuan, according to the report.