According to statistics released today (15 October) by the Monetary Authority of Macao, new approvals of residential mortgage loans (RMLs) fell month-on-month whereas those of commercial real estate loans (CRELs) increased in August 2026.  With regard to the outstanding balances, both RMLs and CRELs witnessed declines on a monthly basis.

New lending approved

In August 2026, new RMLs approved by Macao banks dropped by 0.3% month-on-month to MOP860.22 million. Among them, new RMLs to residents, representing 97.7% of the total, fell by 1.6% to MOP840.84 million; the non-resident component rose by 135.1% to MOP19.38 million from a relatively low base in the previous month. The monthly average of new RMLs approved between June and August 2026 was MOP1.06 billion, down 7.4% from the previous period (May to July 2026). 

New CRELs increased by 13.9% to MOP3.45 billion from the preceding month, all of which were resident loans. The monthly average of new CRELs approved between June and August 2026 was MOP2.50 billion, up 62.7% from the previous period (May to July 2026). 

Outstanding balances

As at end-August 2026, the outstanding value of RMLs fell by 0.4% month-on-month and 4.6% year-on-year to MOP200.31 billion.   Among them, the resident component made up 96.8% of the total. When compared with the previous month, outstanding RMLs to residents and non-residents both dropped by 0.4%.

The outstanding value of CRELs was MOP131.36 billion, which fell by 0.7% from the preceding month and 8.5% from a year ago.   Among them, the resident component made up 90.8% of the total. When compared with the previous month, outstanding CRELs to residents and non-residents dropped by 0.8% and 0.5% respectively.

Delinquency ratios

At end-August 2026, the delinquency ratio for RMLs edged up to 3.7% from a month ago but dropped 0.1 percentage point over a year earlier.   The ratio for CRELs was 5.6%, which remained unchanged from the previous month but rose by 0.1 percentage point from end-August 2025.

Residential mortgage loans refer to credit facilities provided by banks to individuals and enterprises that are collateralised by residential real estate in the Macao Special Administrative Region (Macao SAR). They include loans to finance purchase of residential properties and other purposes (such as refinancing loans, working capital and trade financing). Commercial real estate loans refer to credit facilities provided by banks to individuals and enterprises that are collateralised by commercial real estate in the Macao SAR. They include loans to construction companies and loans to finance property development and investment.