MANILA – Banks in the Philippines are generally expected to maintain their credit standards for businesses and households in the first quarter of 2026, according to results of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)’s Senior Bank Loan Officers’ Survey (SLOS).

For loans to enterprises, 87.7 percent of banks anticipate keeping credit standards unchanged in Q1 2026, slightly higher than 86.0 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025. The remaining banks expect to either ease (1.8 percent) or tighten (10.5 percent) lending norms.

Meanwhile, for household loans, 79.5 percent of banks expect to retain credit standards, slightly lower than the previous quarter’s 82.5 percent. The rest of the respondents foresee either tightening (12.8 percent) or loosening (7.7 percent) lending standards.

Among banks that plan to adjust standards, a net 8.8 percent expect to tighten business loan standards, while a net 5.1 percent expect to tighten household loan standards in Q1 2026. This suggests that any future change in lending norms is more likely to be toward tighter rather than looser credit conditions. For comparison, the previous quarter saw a net 14.0-percent tightening for business loans and 7.5-percent tightening for household loans.

On loan demand, 70.2 percent of banks expect business loan demand to remain steady in Q1 2026, down from 80.7 percent in Q4 2025. About 28.1 percent anticipate higher demand, an increase from 14.0 percent in the previous quarter, while 1.8 percent expect a decline.

For household loans, 61.5 percent of banks foresee steady demand, lower than the previous quarter. Around 30.8 percent expect demand to rise, up from the previous quarter, while 7.7 percent anticipate a decline.

A total of 58 senior loan officers from universal and commercial banks, thrift banks, and rural banks participated in the Q1 2026 survey.