Circulated figures for the second quarter of 2026 indicate about 14.508 billion dinars in loans and facilities granted to individuals, but accuracy requires distinction: the talk is about an outstanding balance at the end of the period, not about new loans granted during that quarter. Likewise, dividing this balance by the number of loans to reach an average of about nine thousand dinars does not prove that most of them are consumer loans; the average alone does not reveal the purposes of financing or the distribution of its amounts.
The most important question, then, is not: How many loans did we grant? Rather: How many projects did we help launch, how many job opportunities resulted from them, and how many Jordanian goods or services reached a new market?
A consumer loan is not an economic error in itself; it meets family needs and activates the market, but a young person with a fixed salary may find the path to financing clearer than a project owner who has purchase orders and potential customers, yet lacks traditional guarantees. This is a gap that general calls for entrepreneurship do not address.
The government, the Central Bank, commercial banks, and the loan guarantee corporation can establish a productive financing window with specific partial guarantees, so that each party bears its share of the risk, and priority is given to projects capable of proving real demand for their products, with support linked to announced indicators: continuity, jobs, sales, and exports, rather than merely disbursing the loan.
In parallel, creditworthiness assessment must be developed to include cash flows, electronic invoices, contracts, and purchase orders, instead of reducing the project owner's capability to their salary or real estate. As for the startup that needs time before generating revenues, equity investment in its capital may be more suitable for it than burdening it with loan installments from its first day.
And so that we know if we are progressing, we need periodic data showing where credit goes: to individuals or establishments, to which sectors, and with what impact on employment. Good policy begins with accurate diagnosis and is held accountable by measurable results.
We appreciate any bank that maintains the stability of the cost of existing loans for its customers; this eases the pressure on families and establishments. However, the more impactful step is opening the door to fair financing for projects capable of generating new income.
For the economy is not strengthened by the abundance of loans alone, but by the lasting projects, real jobs, and added value it leaves behind for Jordan.
