TIRANA, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Businesses operating in Albania slightly increased demand for loans during the third quarter of 2016, Bank of Albania said in its survey published Saturday.
Data showed that the slight growth of demand for loans was driven by demand for loans of the large enterprises, while demand from small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) saw a decline in Q3.
Moreover, the second-tier banks operating in Albania expect an increased demand for loans even in the fourth quarter of 2016, from both the large companies as well as SMEs.
The survey also showed that the second-tier banks in Albania tightened lending standards for businesses during Q3. The loan criteria became stricter for the large businesses while they remained unchanged for SMEs.
Bank of Albania added that the same trend is expected to continue even in Q4 for the large businesses while loans standards are expected to ease for SMEs.
