Over half of home loans go through credit intermediaries in Portugal

Portugal ranks 4^th among 10 European markets for the use of credit intermediaries in home lending.

By Kate Sreenarong, in News, Housing · 02 Oct 2026, 07:03 · 0 Comments

Portugal secures over €16 billion in EU funding
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More than half of home loans in Portugal are now distributed through credit intermediaries, placing the country fourth among the 10 European markets analysed in a recent industry study.

According to research by the European Federation of Financial Advisers and Financial Intermediaries (FECIF), intermediaries accounted for 57 percent of mortgage lending in Portugal.

Only the UK (87 percent), Poland (70 percent), and Slovakia (60 percent) recorded higher shares among the markets surveyed.

Following Portugal were Hungary (53 percent), Germany (45 percent), France (38 percent), Italy (35 percent), Spain (25 percent) and Austria (15 percent).

Credit limitations

In Portugal, the main challenges facing credit intermediaries included what the research described as excessive reporting requirements, fragmented integration between lenders and a need for greater ongoing training.

The country was also identified as having limited access to information, being one of only two markets, alongside France, surveyed where intermediaries do not have direct access to public databases.

However, digitalisation is progressing, with Portugal, Hungary and Italy classified as markets making substantial advances in the modernisation of credit processes.

Meanwhile, France, Germany, Austria, Spain and the UK were described as highly digitalised markets.

Membership expansion

Hungary’s FPKOSZ association coordinated the survey on behalf of FECIF members.

The European federation recently expanded its membership to include the National Association of Authorised Credit Intermediaries (ANICA).

Tiago Vilaça, President of ANICA, welcomed the association’s entry into the federation at its fourth National Convention, held in Lisbon this Wednesday, 30 September.

He said membership would give Portuguese intermediaries a greater role in discussions over European regulation, particularly as rules governing the sector are increasingly being developed at EU level.

Furthermore, Vilaça stressed that credit intermediaries should help shape the regulations governing their work, pointing to the sector’s already significant role in the Portuguese mortgage market.

Vania Franceschelli, President of FECIF, also welcomed ANICA’s membership, saying the Portuguese association’s experience would reinforce cooperation between financial advisers and credit intermediaries across Europe.