Ghana: Guaranteed loans surge 73% to 31.5 billion cedis

In Ghana, the value of registered guaranteed loans reached 31.5 billion cedis in the second quarter of 2026, marking a year-on-year increase of 73.4%, according to data from the Collateral Registry of the Bank of Ghana. The amount also rose by 57.5% compared to the previous quarter.

Banks provided 19.9 billion cedis of these loans, accounting for 63.1% of the total, up from 14.5 billion in the second quarter of 2025. Other lenders contributed 8.3 billion cedis, while rural and community banks, along with savings and loan companies, captured a smaller share of the market.

Among banks, foreign-controlled institutions recorded 14.1 billion cedis in guaranteed loans, representing 71.1% of the banking total. Ghanaian-owned banks reached 5.7 billion cedis, an annual increase of 112.4% compared to the 2.7 billion recorded in the second quarter of 2025.

The increase in amounts occurred despite a 32.2% decline in the number of security registrations, which fell to 92,033 from 135,721 a year earlier. Thus, the quarter saw fewer registrations associated with a significantly higher total value of loans.

The Collateral Registry, under the Bank of Ghana, records the security rights established by borrowers to secure their loans. The central bank’s 2025 annual report had already indicated 148.3 billion cedis in guaranteed loans for the entire year, compared to 60.9 billion in 2024, with 94.5 billion granted by banks.