In Croatia, a slight increase in bank placements to the non-banking sector continued in May, resulting in an annual growth rate of 1.6 percent, with the annual increase in placements to companies amounting to 4.7 percent, while loans to households decreased by 1.6 percent.
Total bank placements at the end of May amounted to just over 236 billion kuna, which is 1.3 billion kuna more than in the previous month, and 3.8 billion kuna or 1.6 percent more than in the same month last year, according to data from the Croatian National Bank. The increase in placements to the non-banking sector in May was entirely related to the corporate sector, continuing the trend of increasing credit activity of banks directed towards that sector. Thus, the annual growth of placements to companies in May reached 4.7 percent. At the same time, there are still no signs of recovery in household lending – in May, the annual rate of change in placements to that sector was minus 1.6 percent, note analysts from the central bank in the latest Bulletin of the HNB. At the end of May, loans to citizens amounted to 122.8 billion kuna, which is 1.9 billion kuna less than at the end of May last year. (H)
