The Hong Kong Monetary Authority published the first quarter 2026 results of its Survey on Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises’ Credit Conditions, showing that SMEs’ access to bank credit remained broadly stable. Excluding respondents who did not know, 73% perceived banks’ credit approval stance as similar or easier than six months earlier, up from 70% in the previous quarter, while 27% perceived it as more difficult, down from 30%. Among surveyed SMEs with existing credit lines, 0% reported a tighter bank stance, compared with 1% in the previous quarter. Only 2% of respondents applied for new bank credit during the quarter, and among those that already knew the outcome, 91% reported a fully or partially successful application, up from 77% in the previous quarter. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority noted that survey perceptions may be influenced by sentiment and other factors rather than actual credit supply, and cautioned that the results for firms with existing credit lines and new applications should be interpreted carefully because those groups represented only 12% and 2% of surveyed SMEs respectively.
Hong Kong Monetary Authority 2026-05-04
Hong Kong Monetary Authority reports broadly stable SME credit conditions in first quarter of 2026
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority published first quarter 2026 survey results indicating that small and medium-sized enterprises’ access to bank credit remained broadly stable, with 73% of respondents perceiving banks’ credit approval stance as similar or easier than six months earlier. Among SMEs with existing credit lines, none reported a tighter bank stance, while only 2% of all respondents applied for new credit and 91% of those with known outcomes reported fully or partially successful applications, though the authority cautioned that these sub-samples are small and may not reflect actual credit supply.