Consumer credit, Gen Z drives demand: +10.2% in 2025

A lively and changing market. From consumer credit in Italia comes many confirmations in a 2025 characterised by a complex economic context, but also the substantial novelty of a passing of the baton, with representatives of generation Z representing the most dynamic segment of demand. In fact, the latest Loans Report produced by Segugio.it and Experian Italia reports a 10.2% increase in requests compared to the previous year.

"The more favourable financing conditions offered by credit institutions have helped to boost confidence in the market," says Alessio Santarelli, CEO of Segugio.it. In fact, last year the average annual rate stood at 8.33 per cent in our country, marking a marked improvement on the 8.81 per cent of 2024 and with a peak of convenience in November 2025, when the level fell to its lowest level in two years at 8.13 per cent.

The only item that bucked the trend was special purpose loans, which declined by 5.9% and in particular by 11.3% in the last quarter, but the other significant element was the significant increase in the average amounts requested compared to the previous year. The latter increased in fact by 7.5% to EUR 12,483 for consumer loans and by 9.5% to EUR 1,584 for finalised transactions.

The most interesting figure in perspective, however, appears to be the sustained growth in demand from Generation Z, the 18-29 year olds, accounting for 13.3% of personal loans and 20.1% of finalised loans. Generation X (45-60 years old) certainly continues to represent the mainstay of the market in terms of volumes, accounting for around 43.5% of personal loans, but the dynamics of younger people represent a structural evolution to be managed with "more advanced analytical tools and credit evaluation criteria based on more complete and diversified data" warns Armando Capone, Managing Director of Experian Italia.

While liquidity remains the main motivation for requesting money and encompasses 27% of cases, debt consolidation is the fastest growing category with 14.6% growth since 2024 and is now in second place. In the area of special purpose loans, mobile phones remain at the top of the list with 30.3%, although losing share to mobility investments. In fact, used cars saw an 18.2% jump in requests, as did motorbikes and bicycles (+14.4%), demonstrating how the second-hand market has become central for those seeking affordable mobility solutions.