Business lending has increased in the first half of this year, while the sectoral distribution remains primarily oriented towards trade, services, and construction.

The Bank of Albania's data show that for the first four months of 2026, the banking sector granted a total of Lek 92.8 billion in new loans to businesses, representing an 11.4% increase compared to the same period last year.

Trade remains dominant in the structure of lending to the economy and has also recorded high growth for the first months of this year. In four months, new trade credit reached Lek 36.2 billion, an increase of 25.5% compared to the same period a year ago. Trade credit now accounts for 39% of the value of new credit disbursed during the year, further increasing from last year's levels.

Although domestic demand has shown signs of weakness, tourism is partially offsetting this effect and is causing related services, especially trade, to have a growing role in the Albanian economy after the pandemic.

The second most credited sector of the economy was the manufacturing industry, with Lek 13.1 billion, but down by 4.4% compared to a year earlier. After a positive performance last year, new credit to the manufacturing industry is showing a decline this year. Industry as a whole and the manufacturing industry in particular have shown a weak production performance in recent years, and this is starting to be reflected in lending figures.

The third most credited sector of the economy is construction, with a new credit value of Lek 11.7 billion. The value of new credit for construction increased by 11% compared to the same period a year earlier, a pace similar to the average growth of new credit for business. New construction loans account for about 12.5% ??of total loans to businesses, in line with last year's performance.

Meanwhile, real estate activities have also recorded significant growth in lending in the first months of 2026. New loans in this sector reached Lek 3.7 billion, with an annual growth of 110%. The sector that includes accommodation and food services also continues to show growth. New loans reached Lek 7.6 billion, with an annual growth of 78%. The weight in the structure of business loans increased to 8.2%, from 5.1% a year earlier. The growth in loans to this sector seems to reflect the still high demand for investments related to the tourism sector, mainly in hotels and accommodation capacities.

The agricultural sector also recorded modest lending at the beginning of the year, with Lek 393 million or 26% less compared to a year earlier.

Lending for agriculture continues to shrink, despite the application of various financing facilitation schemes, including a preferential funding program designed by the Bank of Albania and a new sovereign loan guarantee scheme applied by the Albanian government.