Banks provide more loans to businesses/ New loans in February reached 30.3 billion lek with a growth of 5.7%
According to the latest data from the "Bank of Albania", total credit reached 946.8 billion lek in February 2026, with a significant increase of 11.6% compared to February last year, and an increase of 0.8% compared to January of the same year. So, if we talk in absolute figures, it results that in the span of one year it records an increase of 98 billion lek.
At the same time, new loans disbursed by the banking system during February reached 30.3 billion lek, up from 28.7 billion lek in the same month last year. This translates into an annual growth of about 5.7%, while the February 2026 level is the highest for this month in the series presented by the Bank of Albania.
The expansion of new lending has been mainly supported by businesses. New loans to private non-financial corporations reached 20.55 billion lek in February, up from 17.75 billion lek a year earlier, or about 15.8% more. This indicates that demand for financing from the private sector remains stable, at a time when businesses are increasingly relying on bank credit.
Lending to individuals and the non-profit institutions that serve them performed differently. In this segment, new loans fell to 9.53 billion lek, from 10.58 billion lek in February 2025, marking an annual contraction of about 9.9%. This means that, although the total loan stock continues to grow, the pace of new borrowing by individuals has slowed compared to a year ago.
The sharpest decline was recorded in loans for housing purchases. The total for this category fell to 3.87 billion lek in February 2026, from 5.62 billion lek in February 2025, or about 31.3% less in annual terms. This indicates that real estate loans have lost the momentum of last year.
The decline in new home loans in February appears to be a consequence of the stronger filters imposed by the Bank of Albania on mortgage loans. Since July last year, these restrictions have narrowed the possibility of fully financing the property.
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