Mortgage approvals exceeded €1.5bn in April as first-time buyers continue to drive activity
Friday 29th May 2026 – Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) has today published the latest figures from the BPFI Mortgage Approvals Report for April 2026. The following are the key elements:
- A total of 4,729 mortgages were approved in April 2026 – first-time buyers (FTBs) were approved for 2,899 mortgages (61.3% of total volume) while mover purchasers accounted for 818 (17.3%).
- The number of mortgages approved rose by 5.5% month-on-month and 0.5% compared with the same period last year.
- Mortgages approved in April were valued at €1,547 million – of which FTBs accounted for €966 million (62.5%) and mover purchasers for €328 million (21.2%).
- The value of mortgage approvals rose by 6.9% month-on-month and by 3.0% year-on-year.
- Re-mortgage/switching activity rose by 6.0% in volume terms year-on-year and rose by 17.0% in value in the same period.
Commenting on the publication of the latest data, Brian Hayes, Chief Executive, BPFI said: “Our latest report shows that the value of mortgage approvals exceeded €1.5 billion in April, up 3% on the same month last year, while approval volumes rose marginally to 4,729. Although purchase mortgage approvals fell slightly in volume terms across all categories, including first-time buyers and mover purchasers, first-time buyer activity remains strong. There were 9,820 first-time buyer mortgage approvals in the first four months of the year, the highest level recorded for that period since the series began in 2011, with the value of those approvals rising to more than €3.2 billion.”
He continued: “Looking at the annualised figures, there were 53,117 mortgage approvals in the twelve months to April 2026, valued at more than €17 billion. This represents a slight increase on the twelve months to March 2026, with volumes up 0.05% and values up 0.27%.”
Mr Hayes concluded: “Our April data points to sustained mortgage demand, with first-time buyers continuing to be the main driver of activity. This is reflected in Help to Buy demand, with the Revenue Commission reporting almost 20,000 applications submitted in the first four months of 2026, up 51% on the same period last year. With 32,358 first-time buyer mortgage approvals recorded in the twelve months to April 2026, the pipeline for lending activity remains strong in the months ahead.”
The BPFI Mortgage Approvals Report April 2026 is available here.
The BPFI Mortgage Approvals report data series since January 2011 is available to download here.
Ends/
Note: Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) represents the banking, payments and fintech sector in Ireland. Together with its affiliates, the Federation of International Banks in Ireland, and the Fintech & Payments Association of Ireland, BPFI has over 120 member institutions and associates, including licensed domestic and foreign banks and institutions operating in the financial marketplace.
Contact: Fiona Murphy, Head of Communications, fiona.murphy@bpfi.ie.
