TIRANA, Dec 31 /ATA/ Lending to the economy reached approximately 332 billion lek at the end of the first 11 months of this year, marking a 21.2% increase compared to the same period in 2023, according to the data in the Statistics Report published by the Bank of Albania. 

According to the Bank of Albania, lending continues to pursue its steady upward trend, dominated by loans for enterprises and businesses, mainly in the local currency, driven by an accommodative monetary policy. 

In the first 11 months of this year, second-tier banks disbursed 234 billion lek in loans to businesses. Compared to the same period last year, business loans have increased by approximately 29%. 

Real estate leads in business loans, followed by the construction and tourism sectors. 

According to the Bank of Albania, lending to individuals also pursued an upward trend. Loans to households reached 94.2 billion lek in the first 11 months of 2024. On a yearly basis, individual lending increased by 14.2%.