CBN survey shows increased loan defaults, expanded credit in Q4 2025
CBN
Nike Popoola
Lenders recorded higher default rates across secured, unsecured, and corporate lending categories in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the Credit Conditions Survey Report for Q4 2025 released by the Statistics Department of the Economic Policy Directorate of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The report revealed that despite the rise in loan defaults, lenders indicated an increase in credit availability for secured, unsecured, and corporate lending during the period under review.
For secured and corporate lending, the improvement in credit availability was attributed to changing economic outlooks and lenders’ market share objectives, reflecting banks’ strategic positioning within the evolving economic environment.
In the unsecured lending segment, lenders noted that the increase in credit availability was mainly influenced by changes in economic outlook as well as shifts in the cost and availability of funds.
The survey highlights the mixed dynamics within Nigeria’s credit market in Q4 2025, where expanding access to credit coexisted with higher default rates across all major lending categories.
