ABI, home loan rate falls to 3.42% in February
Abi's monthly bulletin: bank funding rises, impaired loans improve and rates on new home and corporate loans fall
Key points
More credit to households and companies, more savings entrusted to banks, falling rates on new mortgages and loans to companies, deteriorated loans still falling.
The February 2026 ABI Monthly Bulletin depicts a banking system in which bank loans and customer deposits continue to strengthen together: on the one hand, the money disbursed to the real economy grows, on the other hand, deposits, bonds and investments in securities held at institutions increase.
Bank loans: continued growth
In February 2026, loans to households and businesses increased by 2.1% year-on-year, continuing the growth path started in March 2025. For households, this is the fourteenth consecutive month of increase; for businesses, the eighth. In January 2026, loans to households had grown by 2.5%, those to businesses by 1.7%.
Flow from customers: deposits and securities up
Indirect deposits, i.e. investments in securities held at banks, increased by EUR 97.7 billion between January 2025 and January 2026: EUR 35.6 billion went to households, EUR 17.6 billion to corporations, the rest to other sectors, including financial companies, insurance companies and public administration.
Total direct funding, i.e. resident customer deposits and bonds, grew by 4% p.a. in February 2026, following +3.6% in the previous month and continuing the positive trend that started at the beginning of 2024. Deposits rose by 4.6% p.a., up from +4% previously. Medium- and long-term bonds increased by 0.4%, up from +0.8% in January.
