In 2024, Ukrainians significantly increased their debt to microfinance organizations. Despite the almost unchanged amount of loans, the total amount of loans increased by 27%, reaching UAH 51.69 billion. The average amount of one microcredite was about $ 150 - over UAH 6 thousand, which is 26% more than in 2023.
These trends are reported by the Openatable Platform. More than 8.3 million credit agreements were concluded throughout the year. The most active loans were taken in the third quarter - about 729 thousand loans on a monthly basis. At the end of the year, this figure decreased to 691 thousand, but the demand for fast money remained steadily high.
The increase in loans was accompanied by an increase in debt. For the first three quarters of 2024, the debt of Ukrainians to microfinance organizations increased from 9.3 billion to 18.47 billion hryvnias. At the end of the year, the amount decreased to 15.77 billion, but remained 1.7 times higher than at the beginning of the year.
Despite the partial repayment of loans at the end of 2024, the financial burden on the population continues to increase. Increasing the average check indicates that Ukrainians need more amounts to cover basic costs without having enough money.
Against this background, fraudulent schemes appear. The National Bank of Ukraine has recognized the activity of the BitCapital online service illegal. The platform masked the issuance of hryvnia loans under Tether cryptocurrency, actually bypassing financial regulation. At least 700 people were injured.
Microredite remains a popular survival tool, but at the same time a source of increasing financial risks for millions of citizens.
