Banks plan to further increase lending - NBU survey

Banks are optimistic about the development of lending and plan to continue to increase loan portfolios and relax credit standards in view of the intensification of competition.

This is evidenced by the results of the Survey on Bank Lending Conditions for the 3rd quarter, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

According to the survey results, banks expect growth in business loans - the balance of responses has become the highest in the entire history of observations since 2015.

Demand for corporate loans increased slightly in the 3rd quarter, and respondents predict its growth in the next quarter for all types of business loans, except foreign currency loans.

Demand for loans from the population has also increased, and banks expect its further growth.

According to respondents, the debt burden of businesses remains moderate, and household debt is low.

Credit standards for businesses eased in Q3, mainly by large banks for long-term loans and loans to large enterprises.

Banks plan to ease standards somewhat in the next quarter, primarily for SMEs and short-term loans.

Credit standards for consumer loans were also eased, while they remained unchanged for mortgages.

Banks expect standards to ease for both consumer loans and mortgages going forward.

The approval rate for business loans increased overall, for household loans it increased for mortgages, but remained almost unchanged for consumer loans.

According to banks' assessments, operational and credit risks increased during the quarter, while currency risk eased for the first time since the beginning of 2021.

In the next quarter, respondents expect an increase in operational and credit risks, as well as a certain increase in currency risk, while liquidity risk will decrease.

The survey on bank lending conditions was conducted from September 15 to October 6, 2025 among bank credit managers.

26 financial institutions with a share of 96% of the banking system's assets provided responses.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, the survey results reflect the opinions of respondents and are not estimates or forecasts of the National Bank.