The decrease from 2.89% in July marks the 21st drop in 22 consecutive months, with the only exception being January 2025 when the rate increased by 0.03 percentage points. Between January and August this year, the rate fell from 3.23% to 2.86%.
In consumer loans, the average interest rate on new operations dropped to 8.77% in August, a reduction of 0.06 percentage points compared to July, while the average interest rate on loans for other purposes remained at 3.53%.
According to the central bank, new personal lending operations (including new and renegotiated contracts) totaled €2.972 billion in August, down by €497 million from July.
New personal loan contracts amounted to €2.551 billion, a decrease of €485 million compared to July, with the decline affecting all purposes but being more pronounced in mortgage loans.
The new contracts totaled €1.767 billion for housing purposes (down €344 million from July), €555 million for consumption (down €78 million), and €230 million for other purposes (down €63 million).
Credit renegotiation reached €421 million, marking a reduction of €12 million compared to July.
For businesses, the average interest rate for new loan operations fell by 0.11 percentage points, from 3.65% in July to 3.54% in August.
This reduction was observed in both loans up to €1 million (down 0.02 percentage points to 3.81%) and loans over €1 million (down 0.28 percentage points to 3.16%).
In August, the amount of new loans granted to companies was €2.103 billion, a reduction of €949 million compared to the previous month.
The central bank notes this change resulted from the decrease in the amount of new contracts (€1.001 billion), partially offset by a €52 million increase in renegotiated contracts.
New loan operations up to €1 million amounted to €1.227 billion in August, down €380 million from July, while new operations over €1 million decreased by €569 million to €876 million.
