Overview
- BCRA figures for March 2026 show household loan and credit-card delinquency at 11.5%, the highest level in the central bank’s published series and a sharp jump from 3.3% a year earlier.
- The weakest lines are personal loans at 14.2% and credit cards at 11.7%, while nonbank lenders and digital-wallet credit report irregularity rates around 27–30%.
- Analysts link the surge to rapid growth of consumer credit while real wages fell since late 2023, with official wage indicators showing marked declines that eroded households’ ability to service costly loans.
- Provincial banks and governments have rolled out refinancing and relief programs in Córdoba, Buenos Aires and Misiones and lenders report early signs that new delinquencies are plateauing, but the BCRA has declined to provide systemic rescues.
- The rise in mora is raising bank provisioning and could curb consumption and new lending; a durable drop in delinquency will likely require sustained real wage recovery or materially lower borrowing costs over several quarters.