The nation’s top three consumer lenders accounted for 63.5 per cent of the sector’s consumer loan portfolio by the end of June, shows data of the Bulgarian central bank.

Their showing on the corporate segment is less dominant with a 37 per cent of total loans.

Corporate lending growth continues to outpace retail lending in the first half of 2008, building on a trend that started in 2007 when the corporate segment showed more growth momentum than the household segment for the first time in five years.

Increased competition has had little effect on the market positions of Bulgaria’s top 10 consumer and corporate lenders in Q2.

Almost all banks in the top 10 on either segment posted double-digit growth in their credit portfolios in Q2.

UniCredit Bulbank, the top corporate lender with a portfolio of 4.4 billion leva, recorded a 17 per cent growth in Q2. That growth margin was almost matched by Alpha Bank’s 16 per cent. Raiffeisenbank and Piraeus Bank posted a 13 per cent rise in corporate loans.

The Q2 growth rates in the top 10 of consumer lenders were similar.

The top performer is Raiffeisenbank with a 30 per cent rise on end-March to 497 million leva in consumer loans.

Economic and Investment Bank also did well on the retail segment, posting a 17.5 per cent growth to 191.3 million leva.

Portfolio growth at Post Bank and Piraeus Bank also breached the 16 per cent mark in Q2.

Read the full story on Dnevnik.bg