The coast and construction, the new "engine" of bank loans / Lezha surpasses everyone with annual growth, while Tirana holds the largest share
At the end of the third quarter of 2025, the total stock of loans to businesses in the country reached 512.9 billion lekë, increasing by 7.4% compared to the same period last year. These data published by the "Bank of Albania" represent the state of the stock of active loans, i.e. the amount that businesses owe to banks at the end of the period, not new loans disbursed.
Within this total, construction remains one of the largest financed sectors, with a stock exceeding around 79 billion lek at the national level (based on the sum of the regions), reflecting the important weight of this sector in the Albanian economy.
Construction credit has increased in almost all regions, but with varying intensity.
Lezha leads with the strongest percentage increase, 138.6%, from 328 million to 783 million lekë, an expansion directly linked to tourism and urban development developments along the coastline. In Elbasan, construction credit increased by 55.5%, indicating a revival of local investment in infrastructure and housing.
Korça followed a similar trend with 40.3%, due to the expansion of the real estate market and the increase in demand for residential buildings and services.
Shkodra follows in line with an increase in the third quarter of the current year of 38.8%, compared to the same period last year. Fier has marked a more moderate increase of 14.9%, while Tirana, which contains almost half of the entire stock of construction loans in the country, has registered a milder increase of 4%, but in absolute terms remains first, with over 70 billion lek loans in this sector alone.
In contrast, Vlora has recorded a decline of 6.4%, showing signs of market saturation, after several years of high construction activity.
In general, the increase in the stock of construction loans testifies to a stability of confidence of banks and businesses in this sector, although the concentration remains high in urban and coastal areas.
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