At the beginning of 2022, the Central Bank of Iceland began conducting a new lending survey with the aim of systemically collecting data on households‘ and businesses‘ demand for and access to credit. Comparable lending surveys have been carried out in neighbouring countries for years, and the Central bank‘s survey is modelled on those surveys.

The survey is sent to the four commercial banks in Iceland.

The survey results are discussed in the Bank‘s publications and are one aspect of the Bank‘s assessment of lending trends. This assessment is part of the analysis underlying decisions relating to the Bank’s legally mandated objectives; i.e., of promoting price stability and financial stability.

Lending survey results:

Central Bank lending survey - Q4 2024. Published 25 October 2024

Publication dates for year-2024 lending survey:

26 January 2024
26 April 2024
28 August 2024
25 October 2024

The survey results are published at 09:00 hrs.

Structure of the lending survey

The lending survey is a qualitative survey in which lenders are asked about developments in customer demand for credit, developments in the supply of credit to customers, and factors that affect supply, including lending rules, competition, and interest rates. In the survey, respondents are asked to assess developments in the previous three months and about their evaluation of prospects for the upcoming six months, where applicable.

Survey execution

The lending survey is conducted four times a year at the beginning of each quarter with the exception of the third quarter when the survey is conducted in August. Survey participants' responses are treated as confidential.