Overview
- Official January data show household loan delinquency at 10.6%, the highest since records began in 2010 and the highest in Latin America.
- Stress is steepest in personal loans at 13.2% and credit cards at 11%, with nonbank lenders such as fintech wallets reporting 23.9% in arrears and more than 2 million consumer loans slipping behind over the past year.
- A Mate report says families’ debt with the financial system rose by $34 billones during Javier Milei’s government, climbing from $29 billones to $63 billones.
- Policymakers and retailers are testing relief, with the central bank cutting banks’ reserve requirements, Banco Nación promoting interest‑free installments, and lawmakers proposing ANSES‑backed loans that face legal and political obstacles.
- Households are leaning on credit cards to cover daily costs and often make only the minimum payment, while a new survey also finds growing late payments on utilities, taxes, building fees, and school tuition.