Bank Balance Sheets

Money and Banking Statistics

The Money and Banking Statistics contain data on the liabilities and assets of within-the-State offices of credit institutions. These data are further broken down by institutional sector, residency of counterparties, and by the type and maturity of the main asset (loans, holdings of securities) and liability instruments (deposits, securities issued) of interest. Detailed statistics are available on developments in Irish mortgage, consumer and deposit markets.

Highlights in March 2026

    • Annual household deposits flows remained positive at €9.6 billion in the year to end-March 2026.
    • Deposits with an agreed maturity up to 2 years increased by €2.4 billion in the year to end-March 2026, remaining positive and only slightly lower than in the previous month. This is, however, in line with the trend observed in previous months and is consistent with interest rate movements.
    • Annual overnight deposits flows, on the other hand, have been positive since January 2025 and increased by €6.6 billion in the year to end-March 2026, which is slightly lower than in the previous month but on a stable path. After surpassing deposits with an agreed maturity up to 2 years in September 2025, overnight deposits flows remained higher in March 2026.

    Section 1: Loans to Households by Lending Purpose (excluding securitised loans)

    Net lending to households was €604 million in March 2026, which is significantly higher than in the previous month, and in line with behaviour in the same month in previous years. This movement was predominantly driven by loans for house purchase, with a €463 million flow in the month. Loans for consumption contributed with an €83 million increase and loans for other purposes recorded a positive flow worth €58 million in the month.

     

    In annual terms, lending to households increased by €5.8 billion, or 5.3 per cent, in the year to end-March 2026, remaining stable and at the same level as in the previous month. This annual growth rate remains the same after accounting for the impact of repayments on securitised loans. Similarly to monthly developments, loans for house purchase were the main driver, recording €5.2 billion in the period, and loans for consumption contributed with €876 million. Loans for other purposes, on the other hand, dropped by €333 million in the year to end-March 2026. March 2026 has been stable, especially for loans for house purchase and consumption, which have displayed very little variation in the last three months.

    The annual change in loans for house purchase, including both on-balance sheet and securitised loans, was 5.7 per cent in the year to end-March 2026 (see Table A.6).

    Section 2: Deposits from Irish Resident Households by Maturity

    Household deposits recorded a negative flow of €168 million in March 2026. Household deposits stock stood at €171.8 billion at the end of the month. This was driven by overnight deposits, which dropped by €477 million in the month, only partially offset by positive movements of deposits with an agreed maturity up to 2 years, which increased by €260 million in the same period.

    On an annual basis, household deposits increased by €9.6 billion, or 5.9 per cent, in the year to end-March 2026. Even though all maturities recorded positive flows in the period, overnight deposits, and to a lower extent, deposits with an agreed maturity up to 2 years, stood as the main drivers, recording flows worth €6.6 billion and €2.4 billion, respectively. Annual flows of deposits redeemable at notice remained positive at €614 million in March 2026, driven by a one-off significantly elevated monthly flow in July 2025, but monthly flows have been muted since then.

    Section 3: Loans to Non-Financial Corporations (NFC) by Original Maturity

    Net lending to non-financial corporations (NFCs) was positive in March 2026, recording flows worth €255 million. This was mainly driven by long-term loans, which recorded a positive flow of €294 million. Medium-term loans were also positive, recording in the period flows worth €88 million in the month, while short-term loans dropped by €127 million.

    In annual terms, loans to NFCs increased by €1.9 billion, or 6.8 per cent, in the year to end-March 2026. This was driven by medium-term loans, which recorded a positive annual flow of €1.3 billion in the period, and to a lower extent, by short-term loans, with a positive contribution worth €482 million. Long-term loans increased by €159 million in the period.

    Section 4: Deposits from Non-Financial Corporations (NFC) by Maturity

    NFC deposits flows were positive at €1.1 billion in March 2026. This is a relatively small movement compared to larger fluctuations in previous months and is in line with the high variability observed in the series. NFC deposits stood at €84.9 billion at the end of the month. Monthly movements were entirely driven by overnight deposits, which had a positive contribution of €1.2 billion. Deposits with a maturity up to 2 years dropped by €277 million, while deposits redeemable at notice recorded a positive flow of just €117 million in the month.

    In annual terms, NFC deposits increased by €6.3 billion in the year to end-March 2026, slightly higher than in the previous month and surpassing the latest high recorded in December 2024, when overall NFC deposits increased by €5.9 billion annually. This was primarily driven by positive movements of overnight deposits, and to a lower extent, by deposits with a maturity up to 2 years, which recorded annual flows worth €4.5 billion and €1.6 billion, respectively.

    Note 1:

    Money and Banking statistics cover all credit institutions resident in Ireland. This includes licensed banks, building societies and, since January 2009, credit unions. A resident office means an office or branch of the reporting institution which is located in the Republic of Ireland. Data are reported in respect of resident office business only. Recent data are often provisional and may be subject to revision. For further detail, please see the Money and Banking webpage for:

    Irish-headquartered banks refers to institutions whose ultimate parent entity is resident in Ireland.

    Note 2:

    A number of lenders have agreed payment breaks with their customers since the onset of the COVID-19 crisis. These breaks are likely to significantly affect the Money and Banking lending data in this period, predominantly by keeping outstanding loan balances higher than they would be, had repayments followed their initial schedule. As well as this, end-quarter months’ data is affected by quarterly interest capitalisation, which increases balances in on-quarter months.

    Note 3:

    Convenience credit debt is defined as the credit granted at an interest rate of 0 per cent in the period between payment transaction(s) undertaken with the card during one billing cycle and the date at which debit balances from the specific billing cycle becomes due. Extended credit debt is defined as the credit granted after the due date(s) of the previous billing cycle(s) has/have passed, for which an interest rate is charged.

    Note 4:

    Treatment of securitised loans

    As a result of an update to the ECB Regulation ‘on the statistical reporting of balance sheet items of credit institutions and of the monetary financial institutions sector (recast) (ECB/2021/2)’, there have been changes to how certain securitised loans are required to be classified for the purposes of statistical reporting. The below treatment, allowed under the previous Regulation, is no longer permitted under the updated Regulation:

    ‘MFIs (….) may be allowed by their NCB to exclude from the stocks (…) any loans disposed of by means of a securitisation in accordance with national practice (…)’

    The removal of this clause means that banks are now required to report all previously excluded securitised balances within their on-balance sheet stocks of outstanding loans.

    This has resulted in an increase in the on-balance sheet stock of house purchase loans in tables such as Table A.1 and Table A.4.

    These securitised loans were already captured in Table A.6, which combined on-balance sheet and securitised loans since the series began in January 2003. This change does not impact on published transactions and growth rates for January 2022. As a result of this change, we will be discontinuing publication of confidential series within table A.6 in the future.

    Note 5:

    In March 2023 the outstanding amounts and transactions of domestic household deposits increased following the entry of a credit institution into the Irish market. Without this addition the household deposit growth in the year would have been lower still.

    Statistical classification of sole proprietors

    In line with their treatment in ESA 2010, the Central Bank is harmonising the treatment of sole proprietors by reporting agents across various datasets. This has resulted in a reclassification of loans and deposits from the NFC to the Household sector. These amendments have been made with respect to January 2022 reference data, with revisions to historical data to follow. Specifically, these changes mean an increase in loan and deposit balances reported against the household sector, and a decline in balances reported against the NFC sector. This change does not impact on published transactions and growth rates for January 2022.

    Related Data Sets

    View all related data sets.

    Additional Information

    Money and Banking Statistics March 2026 | pdf 439 KB Money and Banking Statistics Explanatory Notes | pdf 1007 KB Credit Institutions Resident in the Republic of Ireland | pdf 113 KB

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