Manila – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Monday said most Philippine banks are likely to maintain their lending standards for both businesses and households in the fourth quarter of 2025.
According to the latest Senior Bank Loan Officers’ Survey (SLOS), 58 banks participated, sharing insights on how they expect to handle credit and how they see demand for loans changing.
Key findings:
• For corporate lending, about 86 % of respondents expect to keep their credit standards steady, up from the 78.9 % reported in Q3.
• For loans to households, 87.5 % of banks said they expect no change in standards, compared with 77.5 % in the previous quarter.
• Around 10 % of banks foresee tightening standards and only 2.5 % anticipate easing them.
• On the demand side, 73.7 % of banks expect business loan demand to remain stable — slightly down from 75.4 % in Q3. The same percentage (73.7 %) applies to household-loan demand.
The SLOS covers questions about how banks set credit standards (including interest rates, loan size, collateral, conditions, repayment terms) and other factors affecting the supply of and demand for credit.
As the economy continues to navigate global uncertainties, the stronger inclination toward stability suggests that banks are cautious but not expecting major shifts in credit policies in the immediate term. (PNA)