By Nikos Kotsikopoulos
The foundations for another year of strong financing this year have been laid by the first half of the six largest Greek banks, as they are on their way to net credit extension (loans minus repayments), EUR 17.3 billion or more for 2026.
The bases entered from the first half, as the six banks achieved a net credit expansion of 10.5 billion euros by June, with disbursements of more than 26 billion euros. The net credit expansion of the 4 systemic banks in the first half was around 8.5 billion euros of both other banks 1.55 billion euros.
With upward revisions Greece's banks, when the results of the first half were announced and the presentations to the analysts of the houses, resulted in new estimates for the whole year.
So are the four systemic banks They now estimate net credit expansion for the whole year over EUR 14.6 billion, while the Credia Bank It provides for the whole year's net credit expansion of 1.3-1.4 billion. EUR 1.35 billion for a loan portfolio increase, Optima Bank.
Of course the portfolio increase that is the net balance and net credit expansion are different things, because the rest has also been removed. However, since Optima does not generally have red loans, it can be considered to be about the same thing.
What loans banks gave in the semester and what they forecast for the whole year
In the first half the net credit expansion (disbursements minus repayments) per bank was:
Alpha Bank: disbursements of EUR 7 billion, net credit expansion of EUR 2.1 billion. THE CEO Vassilis Psaltis He estimated that the bank would write over EUR 1 billion of net expansion per quarter thereafter, (this means that the total bank and all banks at EUR 17.3 billion can be conservative). Overall the bank now sees 4.1 billion euros of net credit expansion this year.
Eurobank: net six-month credit expansion of 2.7 billion euros, with net balance change (minus and write-offs, i.e. a number cleaner than credit expansion) in the six months, 800m euros in Greece, 900m euros in Bulgaria and 400m euros in Cyprus. The bank's management only gives the net credit expansion, which is 2.7 billion euros over the semester. THE Managing Director Fokion Karavias, raise the amount of net credit expansion this year to EUR 4.5 billion.
National Bank: disbursements of EUR 5.5 billion, with a net credit extension of EUR 1.9 billion. There are nearly EUR 200 million in interest loans but with exchange differences. They're shipping loans in dollars. THE CEO Paul Mylonas gave a rather conservative estimate of over EUR 3 billion, which is also estimated to be a little higher.
Piraeus Bank: disbursements of EUR 6.9 billion and net credit extension of EUR 1.8 billion. Conservative assessment and here by Managing Director Christos Megalos for more than EUR 3 billion over the whole year.
Credia Bank: first half disbursements of EUR 2 billion, net credit extension of EUR 841 million. The Managing Director Eleni Brittou gave an estimate for a record this year with a net credit expansion total of 1.3–1.4 billion euros.
Optima Bank: first half disbursements of EUR 2 billion, with EUR 705 million of net portfolio change. A total net portfolio increase of EUR 1.35 billion is foreseen for the whole year which can be translated into a slightly better figure as a credit extension.
