Strong growth was seen in new mortgage loans in the country, while financing for small businesses was steady.
At the same time, a new acceleration in consumer creditwas observed, shaping the picture of new retail banking loan production in the first quarter of 2026. More than 117,000 new loans were disbursed, totalling €1.6 billion with an annual increase of 26%.
More specifically,data from the Hellenic Bankers Association regarding new loan disbursements in the first quarter of the year show a strong 77% rise in mortgage loans,which follows a jump of 46% in 2025. These figures signal a sustained strengthening of the upward cycle after fifteen years of contraction.
At the same time, as shown by the latest available data from the European Central Bank (ECB), the average interest rate on fixed mortgage loans of up to five years fell in February 2026 to its lowest level in nine years in Greece (2.95%), making it the fifth cheapest in the eurozone (average interest rate 3.37%). Fixed-rate mortgages up to five years are currently one of the most popular options for borrowers.
The individual data from the EETT records disbursements of 13,756 mortgage loans, totalling €672.8 million in the first quarter of 2026. The bulk of the mortgage loans of €438 million to 4,860 households is purely bank financing, excluding the use of schemes. In addition, 1,791 new housing loans worth €191 million were disbursed through the “MY HOME II” programme, while more than 7,100 loans , worth a total of almost €43 million, were disbursed through other subsidised programmes.
Lending to small businesses with an annual turnover of up to €2.5 million and a loan amount of up to €1 million moved stably, with a marginal decrease of 0.6% year-on-year. EUR 1 million, which in 2025 had seen a significant increase of 10.5%.Almost eight out of ten small businesses in this category that applied for a new loan or an increase in funding limits received loans in the first quarter of 2026 totalling EUR 546 million (9,132 actual disbursements).
In consumer credit, 94,169 borrowers received a total of EUR 385 million in loans, with an annual increase of 12%. Taking into account the total value of loans, most of them (EUR 129 million) were granted through the physical branches of the banks’ network to 14,633 borrowers. Almost twice as many borrowers (29,163) received a consumer loan through the banks’ digital network (e banking), with disbursements of these loans approaching €92 million, while loans for the purchase of 8,600 cars and motorcycles exceeded €102 million.
The emerging picture is not only about loan sizes, but also about the way banks are now approaching their clientele.
Bank branches have changed shape and have been transformed into advisory and personalized service spaces, while day-to-day transactions are increasingly moving to digital channels.This new hybrid model combines the speed of technology with human interaction, altogether reshaping the customer experience.
