Tourism and construction, the "engines" of lending/ Trade remains the sector most financed by banks, despite the decline
New business credit continued to grow at a strong pace in April 2026, supported mainly by the tourism sector, the manufacturing industry, and real estate-related activities.
Wholesale and retail trade, including vehicle repair, continued to hold the largest share of new lending, with 7.09 billion lek in new loans in April. However, compared to a year earlier, financing for this sector fell by 18.6%, indicating that overall credit growth was supported by other branches of the economy.
The strongest growth among the main sectors was recorded by accommodation and food services. New loans for this activity reached 2.82 billion lek, from 1.05 billion lek in April 2025, or about 169% more. The data show that the tourism and related services sector continues to remain one of the main drivers of financing demand.
The manufacturing industry also recorded significant expansion, with new loans reaching 5.15 billion lek, up 103.1% year-on-year. Real estate activities also recorded an increase of 970.5%, reaching 1.82 billion lek, while the electricity, gas and steam sector expanded by 112.2%, to 1.26 billion lek.
Other service activities have also shown positive performance, with an increase of 147.7%, transportation and storage with 40.7%, and healthcare with 60% more new loans compared to April last year.
On the other hand, several sectors have recorded a contraction in financing. Construction, one of the main branches of the economy, received 3.42 billion lek in new loans, or 22% less than a year earlier. Decreases were also recorded in information and communication (-71%), financial and insurance activities (-33.4%), administrative and support services (-20.2%), and the arts, entertainment and recreation sector (-54.2%).
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