Credit to SMEs increases marginally during first quarter

Net lending to SMEs stood at €78m in Q1 2022, compared to a net flow of €179m in Q1 2021.

The Central Bank said credit to SMEs, which are considered to be businesses with 250 employees or less, increased by 0.4% over the quarter to over €18bn in its latest report examining lending in Q1.

Property-related lending now represents nearly 30% of Irish banks’ outstanding SME loan book, while what the Central Bank labels as "core lending" makes up around €13bn.