# Euro area banks tighten business credit as AI lending focuses on infrastructure

_Published Tuesday, October 27, 2026 at 5:12 AM EDT · Infrastructure, Products · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![Euro area banks tighten business credit as AI lending focuses on infrastructure — Primary](https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/shared/img/socialmedia/social-default.jpg?0ef1632c35edede913681bb76af694a4)

Euro area banks tightened business lending standards in the third quarter of 2026, while directing current and prospective AI lending more toward infrastructure providers than software developers or firms adopting AI, the European Central Bank's October survey found.

A net 9% of banks reported tighter corporate credit standards, exceeding the 5% expected in the previous survey. Higher perceived risks and reduced risk tolerance drove the tightening. Several banks expect gradually rising demand for digital infrastructure loans, particularly for data centres.

Most banks have yet to introduce quantitative criteria specific to AI lending. A small number increasingly consider AI risks in qualitative borrower assessments, with IT firms receiving the closest scrutiny.

## Sources

- [ECB - European Central Bank](https://www.ecb.europa.eu//press/pr/date/2026/html/ecb.pr261027~506ef03145.en.html)

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Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/t2VyMUbTDag-Bcvic4zgel
Published: 2026-10-27T09:12:15.523Z
Story chronology: 2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z
Retrieved: 2026-10-27T13:16:24.028Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)