The National Bank of Moldova published January 2025 statistics on new lending and bank interest rates, showing MDL 5,721.4 million of new loans were granted, down 29.3% from December 2024. Lending in Moldovan lei accounted for 78.9% of the total (MDL 4,515.9 million) and fell 26.2% month on month. By maturity, loans with terms of two to five years were the most used (46.5% of total new lending), with such maturities for legal entities making up 28.2% of total new lending. The average nominal rate on new leu loans rose 0.13 percentage points to 8.39%, while the average rate on foreign-currency loans fell 0.10 percentage points to 5.57%. Households borrowed MDL 2,028.0 million (down 11.0%), with consumer credit representing 55.4% and mortgage loans 44.4% (mortgages were contracted only in the national currency); the average rate on leu consumer loans slipped to 10.53% and the average rate on leu mortgage loans increased to 7.04%. For legal entities, leu-denominated lending fell 34.8%, foreign-currency lending fell 32.9%, and currency-indexed lending fell 98.0%; non-financial corporations accounted for 61.8% of new loans, while average rates moved to 7.84% for leu loans and 5.56% for foreign-currency loans.
National Bank of Moldova 2025-02-20
National Bank of Moldova reports new lending fell 29.3% in January 2025 to MDL 5,721.4 million
The National Bank of Moldova reported a 29.3% decrease in new loans for January 2025, totaling MDL 5,721.4 million, with 78.9% in Moldovan lei. The average nominal rate on new leu loans increased to 8.39%, while foreign-currency loan rates decreased to 5.57%.