Lending Grows by 20.7%, Household Deposits Up 11.4% in March – BNB Reports

According to data published on the Bulgarian National Bank’s (BNB) official website, household lending surged by 20.7% year-on-year by the end of March, while household deposits rose by 11.4%.

At the end of March, the total number of loans issued to households and NPISHs (Non-Profit Institutions Serving Households) increased by 2.3% year-on-year to reach 2.896 million. The value of these loans reached BGN 48.372 billion—up 20.7% compared to March 2024. While the number of such loans saw a slight quarterly decline of 0.1%, their total value grew by 4.3%. Loans ranging between BGN 100,000 and 250,000 accounted for the largest share at 27.8%.

Loans to Non-Financial Enterprises:
As of the end of Q1 2025, non-financial enterprises held 154,000 loans—a slight annual increase. The total value of these loans rose by 9.7% year-on-year to BGN 50.031 billion. Compared to the previous quarter, loan numbers grew by 2.9% and their value by 1.9%. The sectors with the highest loan shares were:

• Trade: 26.6%

• Manufacturing: 21.6%

• Real estate operations: 11.7%

Notably, loans exceeding BGN 1 million formed the bulk of the loan portfolio in this sector, accounting for 75.9%.

Loans to Financial Enterprises:
At the end of March, financial enterprises had 1,129 loans, marking a 10.5% annual increase. The value of these loans rose 13.4% to BGN 8.739 billion. Quarter-on-quarter, the number of loans increased by 2.1%, and their total value by 3.2%. Nearly all (99.2%) of these loans were valued above BGN 1 million.

Aggregate Loan Data:
Overall, loans across households, financial and non-financial enterprises rose by 2.2% in number and 14.7% in total value on an annual basis.

Deposit Trends:
Total deposits in the three sectors increased by 1.1% in volume and 10.5% in value year-on-year.

Households and NPISHs held 8.991 million deposits at the end of March—up 0.9% annually. Their total value climbed to BGN 90.836 billion, an 11.4% increase. Compared to December 2024, the number of deposits slightly decreased by 0.2%, while their value rose by 1.6%. Deposits between BGN 50,000 and 100,000 made up the largest share at 19.2%.

Deposits by Non-Financial Enterprises:
These stood at 646,300 by the end of March, a 3.5% increase year-on-year. Their value totaled BGN 46.799 billion, marking an 8% annual rise. Compared to the previous quarter, the number of deposits increased by 0.6%, while their value dropped by 0.3%. The dominant sectors by deposit share were:

• Trade: 25.1%

• Manufacturing: 14.1%

• Construction: 9.4%

Deposits over BGN 1 million comprised 60% of the total in this category.

Deposits by Financial Enterprises:
These totaled 8,074 in number, up 7.1% year-on-year. Their overall value reached BGN 4.577 billion—a significant 18.3% annual increase. From the previous quarter, deposit numbers grew by 1% and their value by 11.6%. High-value deposits above BGN 1 million dominated, accounting for 89.9%.