The low interest rates have been putting pressure on the earnings of banks for many years. Several banks have therefore introduced negative deposit rates for private customers to a greater extent and at lower thresholds during 2021. Despite these measures, net interest income fell by DKK 0.5 billion to DKK 31.5 billion, but the decrease would have been greater if the institutions had not introduced negative deposit rates to a greater extent.
The banks' total lending grew by approx. DKK 50 billion, corresponding to 3.7 percent, and all size groups of banks experienced positive lending growth. The increase should be seen in the light of higher credit demand for repayment of government bailout packages, and by the fact that the economic uncertainty in 2021 was no longer as great as during the first phase of the COVID-19 crisis.