The request to get a loan, in order to buy an apartment, has increased this beginning of the year.

According to data from the Bank of Albania, for the period January-February, banks granted 7.5 billion ALL loans, marking a new historical record for this period of the year.

Compared to last year, the increase is 6%, despite the austerity measures imposed by the Central Bank on the interest rate.

According to the currency, the demand for lending in Lek dominates over other currencies, with 78%, and this remains related to the inhibition of interest rates for the local currency.

The surveys of the Bank of Albania have shown that at least one third of the transactions in the Property market are financed with bank loans. The consistency of credit growth continues to support demand in the real estate market.

However, the developments in the real estate market and the bank loan for properties are assessed with concern by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which sees a mismatch between supply and demand in the figures that appear in the final transactions.