In March 2026, the gap between deposit interest rates in Lithuania and the euro area widened

Lietuvos bankas notes that interest rates on and volumes of new business¹ of loans of and deposits with credit institutions operating in Lithuania include loans granted to and deposits held by euro area residents.

Interest rates² on loans and new business of deposits with agreed maturity of euro area credit institutions to euro area residents published by the ECB show that:

• in March 2026, the interest offered to households (residents) on deposits with agreed maturity was higher in Lithuania than the euro area average;
• interest rates on household deposits with agreed maturity held with credit institutions operating in Lithuania decreased by 0.23 p. p. to 1.63%, while the average for these interest rates in the euro area rose over the three months³ by 0.05 p. p. to 1.86%. In March 2026, Lithuania ranked fifteenth-sixteenth, down from ninth-tenth (see Chart 1);

Chart 1. Interest rates on and volumes of new business of household deposits with agreed maturity

• interest rates on deposits with agreed maturity held by non-financial corporations with credit institutions operating in Lithuania fell over a three-month period by 0.08 p. p., to 1.83%, while the euro area average for these interest rates rose by 0.01 p.p., to 1.96%. In terms of interest rates, Lithuania ranked twelfth, down from eighth, remaining below the euro area average (see Chart 2);

Chart 2. Interest rates on and volumes of new business of non-financial corporation deposits with agreed maturity

• just like in the euro area, interest rates on housing loans to households granted by credit institutions operating in Lithuania increased over the past three months by 0.1 and 0.05 p.p., respectively, amounting to 3.79% and 3.35%. Lithuania rose from the fourth to the third place in this ranking (see Chart 3);

Chart 3. Interest rates on and volumes of new business of household loans for house purchase

• over the last three months, interest rates on household loans for consumption in Lithuania and the euro area increased by 0.37 and 0.3 p.p., respectively, amounting to 8.77% and 7.46%. Among euro area countries, Lithuania ranked fifth-sixth together with Portugal (see Chart 4);

Chart 4. Interest rates on and volumes of new business of household loans for consumption

• interest rates on household loans for other purposes granted by credit institutions operating in Lithuania decreased by 0.96 p.p. over the past three months, amounting to 8.63%.  The euro area average for these interest rates grew by 0.15 p.p. to 4.04%. Lithuania continued to rank first among euro area countries in terms of interest rates (see Chart 5);

Chart 5. Interest rates on and volumes of new business of household loans for other purposes

• over the three months, both the interest rates on loans granted by credit institutions operating in Lithuania to non-financial corporations (companies) and the corresponding averages in the euro area increased by 0.09 p.p. and 0.01 p.p., respectively, to 4.58% and 3.51%. The interest rates in Lithuania, however, were among the highest in the euro area, i.e. standing 107 basis points above the euro area average (see Chart 6).

Chart 6. Interest rates on and volumes of new business of loans to non-financial corporations

¹ New business covers financial contracts that specify for the first time the interest rate on a loan or a deposit rate, and contracts for existing loans or deposits, which were renegotiated. New business does not cover revolving loans and overdrafts, as well as credit card debt. New business deposits do not cover automatic renegotiations of existing deposit contracts.

² Weighted interest rates on new business during the reporting month, in percentages per annum.

³ Data from December 2025 and March 2026 are compared.

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Statistics, Monetary and financial statistics