Most of the new loans, 55% or RON37 billion, went to companies, while consumer and mortgage loans stood at RON30.2 billion. Lenders still have a lot to recoup compared with 2008, when new loans stood at more than EUR100 billion.
Both retail and corporate lending saw growth, but retail and especially consumer loans were the growth driver. Retail loans went up 7.5% in 2016 compared with 2015, while corporate loans rose by 3.9%.
The growth of new loans is driven by leu loans, which have gained significant ground on foreign currency loans. Leu (corporate and retail) loan volume stood at more than RON55 billion or about 82% of the total new loans in 2016. The rise in leu loans also made an impact on the loan stock, were leu loans accounted for two thirds at the end of 2016.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)