In February 2026, Poland’s non-bank lending market recorded growth in both the cash loan and installment loan segments. Sales data from lending institutions show that activity increased particularly strongly in installment loans, although short-term cash loans continued to dominate in terms of total value.
The Polish non-bank lending market is based on two main segments. The first consists of cash loans, transferred directly to the customer’s account and used for any purpose. This category includes short-term loans granted for up to 60 days, as well as higher-value loans with repayment periods exceeding 60 days. The second pillar of the market is installment loans, which are most often used to finance specific purchases of goods or services.
The largest part of the cash loan segment in February 2026 was made up of loans granted for up to 60 days. Their value reached PLN 1.141 billion, up 16.0% compared with the same month a year earlier. During that period, 439,000 such loans were granted, or 1.4% more than a year before. Short-term cash loans accounted for 73% of the total value and 86.4% of the total number of all cash loans granted in February. The average value of a single loan also rose markedly, reaching PLN 2,876, which was 14.1% higher than a year earlier.
Growth was also recorded in cash loans with maturities longer than 60 days. In February, their total value reached PLN 422 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 13.0%. The number of loans granted in this category came to 69,000, or 1.5% more than in February 2025. The average value of a longer-term loan increased to PLN 6,142, marking an annual rise of 11.3%.
The installment loan segment showed even stronger growth momentum. In February 2026, lending companies granted 886,000 such loans, 25.1% more than a year earlier. Total sales in this segment reached PLN 558 million, up 16.4% year on year. At the same time, the average installment loan value fell to PLN 630, which was 7.0% lower than a year earlier. This may indicate a growing number of smaller purchases being financed.
Data for the first two months of 2026 show that this trend also held in broader terms. Between January and February, the number of cash loans with maturities of up to 60 days increased by 3.3% year on year, while the number of cash loans with maturities above 60 days edged down by 0.2%. Once again, the strongest growth was recorded in the installment segment, where the number of granted loans was 20.7% higher than a year earlier.
In value terms, all main segments of the market posted positive growth rates. The value of cash loans up to 60 days rose by 15.9%, cash loans above 60 days increased by 14.2%, and installment loans grew by 17.3%. This means that Poland’s non-bank lending market entered 2026 with continued growth, although its individual segments are expanding at different speeds.
