Annual survey on bank lending – Southern Neighbourhood countries

From August 2019 to September 2021, the Belgian Bankers Academy conducted a comprehensive annual survey for the EIB on banking lending practices in the Southern Neighbourhood (North Africa and the Middle East). The aim was to provide the EIB and its partners with a clear picture of financing trends, operational constraints and areas for improvement in the private sector on an annual basis.

1. Methodological design

• Framing workshop with the EIB to define strategic objectives (targeting SMEs vs. large companies, geographical scope).

• Development of the SNBLS questionnaire: 40 questions divided into eight modules

  • Definition of SMEs and MidCaps

  • Credit supply

  • Loan organization and technology

  • Credit standards

  • Lending constraints

  • Customer satisfaction

  • Specific financial instruments

  • Cyclical dynamics

• Joint validation with EIB and European Commission teams to ensure cross-cutting comparability.

2. Deployment & collection

• Selection of a panel of licensed banks in eight countries: coverage ≥ 70% of large banking groups, including regional and local banks.

• Online collection procedure: dedicated platform, automatic reminders and personalized follow-up of non-respondents (final response rate: 85%).

• Field support: telephone interviews and local workshops to assist CIOs and credit managers in recording data.

3. Analysis & reporting

• Statistical processing of responses: segmentation by country and type of institution, cross-country benchmarking.

• Eight country reports (5–8 pages each) presenting:

  • Key lending indicators (average amount, duration, interest rate)

  • Main barriers to lending (process, technology, governance)

  • Borrowers' expectations and satisfaction levels

• Regional summary: consolidated document for the EIB, including graphs, trends, and strategic recommendations for continuing the survey.

4. Sustainability of the initiative

• Operational kit provided to the EIB: guide for redesigning the questionnaire, follow-up procedure, country report template, and automated dashboard (Excel/Power BI).

• Training of EIB teams in the SNBLS methodology to enable them to carry out the annual renewal independently, without external assistance.

• Regional feedback workshops: sessions to share results with the European Commission, local regulators and participating banks.

This survey has become a strategic tool for the EIB to steer its private sector support and guide its regional financing operations.