Overview
- The central bank reported household loan delinquency at about 11.2% for February 2026 while nonbank credit providers recorded 26.9% irregularity for the same month, driven mainly by personal loans and credit‑card balances.
- The worst arrears are concentrated in small, high‑cost lenders: the BCRA's 'Resto' category showed 58.4% delinquency and appliance‑store financing reached 44.3% in February 2026.
- Nonbank entities now hold roughly 14 trillion pesos in active loans to 12.1 million people, with fintechs, wallets and merchants expanding access but concentrating risk in smaller, higher‑cost exposures.
- Banks have shifted liquidity into Treasury securities and dollar lending to large exporters and energy firms, raising public‑debt exposure to about 42% of system assets and crowding out peso credit to families and SMEs.
- Policymakers and public banks are discussing targeted refinancing and relief measures as consultoras estimated 5.3 million people were in default by April 2026, a development that risks longer exclusion from formal credit if regulatory caps shrink supply.