Abstract:
This paper documents two approaches that are used to estimate a credit gap, defined as the difference between actual developments in credit to non-financial corporations (NFCs) in Malta and a hypothetical path that would have been realised had the past historical relationships over the period 1995-2011 were to be maintained over the period 2012-2014. Both methods suggest that a credit gap emerged in 2012, which widened significantly in 2013 and 2014. As at 2014Q3, the credit gap is estimated between €680 and €830 million. In addition, the two approaches indicate that the credit gap will widen further over 2015-2016.