Large companies in the euro area reported more difficult access to bank credit in the third quarter of 2026, following an improvement in the previous quarter, while SMEs continued to experience a deterioration. The survey published on Monday, October 26, by the European Central Bank shows that financing also became more expensive for applicants, against a backdrop of economic prospects considered less favorable by businesses. 1.The availability of credit deteriorated for both SMEs and large firms. For the latter, the balance of responses moved from +4% to −6%, a change of ten percentage points, not a 6% decline in the value of loans. 2.
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