Bank Lending Survey (BLS): Q1 2026

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Bank Lending Survey (BLS): Q1 2026

28/04/2026 - Press Releases

- The credit standards and overall terms and conditions for loans to non-financial corporations (NFCs) remained almost unchanged in the first quarter of 2026. The overall demand for corporate loans remained unchanged.

- The credit standards for household loans remained unchanged for housing loans and consumer credit in the first quarter of 2026. The terms and conditions tightened somewhat for housing loans, while for consumer loans they remained unchanged during the same period. The demand for housing and consumer loans remained unchanged in the first quarter of 2026.

Loans to non-financial corporations

In the first quarter of 2026, the credit standards for loans to non-financial corporations (NFCs) remained almost unchanged compared with the fourth quarter of 2025 (see Chart 1), in line with the expectations expressed in the previous quarterly survey round. Banks expect credit standards to remain unchanged during the second quarter of 2026.

The overall terms and conditions for loans to NFCs remained almost unchanged compared with the fourth quarter of 2025, despite competitive pressures for narrower margins. During the first quarter of 2026, the overall demand for loans to NFCs remained unchanged (see Chart 2). In the second quarter of 2026, banks expect the demand from NFCs to remain almost unchanged, as demand for loans, mainly from small and medium-sized enterprises, is anticipated to increase.

In the first quarter of 2026, the ratio of rejected applications for loans to NFCs remained unchanged compared with the previous quarter (see Chart 3).

Loans to households

In the first quarter of 2026, the credit standards for housing and consumer loans to households remained unchanged compared with the fourth quarter of 2025 (see Chart 1), while they are expected to remain unchanged during the second quarter of 2026 as well. The terms and conditions for housing loans tightened somewhat due to charge increases other than interest rates. The terms and conditions for consumer and other credit loans remained unchanged during the first quarter of 2026.

The demand for housing and consumer loans remained unchanged during the first quarter of 2026 (see Chart 2) and is also expected to remain unchanged in the second quarter of 2026.

During the first quarter of 2026, the ratio of rejected applications for housing loans remained almost unchanged, while it remained unchanged for consumer credit (see Chart 3).

Chart 1 - Credit Standards (Average)

Chart 2 - Demand (Average)

Chart 3 - Share of rejected applications (Average)

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The next Press Release on the “Bank Lending Survey” for the second quarter of 2026 will be published on 21 July 2026, in accordance with the Advance release calendar published on the Bank of Greece website.

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