This box examines euro area credit conditions from the perspective of banks and firms. The analysis uses data from the bank lending survey and the survey on the access to finance of enterprises. By offering qualitative insights into credit supply and demand, these surveys complement hard data in analysing how monetary policy is transmitted to firms through banks. The respective survey findings confirm that the general economic outlook and firm-specific conditions are significant factors affecting credit standards and the availability of bank loans. Although the surveys evaluate bank loan demand from different angles, both surveys indicate subdued demand developments in 2024. Furthermore, the latest data for both surveys, covering the fourth quarter of 2024, signal persistently weak loan demand, despite declining interest rates, and a renewed tightening of bank credit supply to firms in the euro area.
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