TIRANA, Jan 21 /ATA/ Banks eased lending to businesses in the fourth quarter of 2021.
According to the Lending Activity Survey conducted by the Bank of Albania, relaxed lending standards were reported for both small and medium-sized businesses and large businesses.
The eased terms were especially applied on loans disbursed to meet liquidity needs, while those for standard investment financing remained unchanged.
According to banks, the general terms and conditions on new loans disbursed to businesses eased in the last quarter of 2021, for the first time since the pre-pandemic period.
Their easing was enabled by applying lower margins on normal loans, as well as by reducing commissions and other non-interest costs, while in parallel, the demand for business loans continued to be high in the fourth quarter.
Credit to business reached the value of over ALL 201 billion during the first 9 months of 2021, recording an increase of 9% on an annual basis. /j.p/sm/
