Dutch banks have helped out more than 180,000 consumers and companies with repayment deferrals and loans since the start of the coronavirus crisis, the Dutch banking association NVB said on Friday.

In total, the financial aid has amounted to €15.2bn, the NVB said.

By mid-April, 117,000 companies and private individuals had been helped out and the number of new requests for help is going down, the NVB said. This, the agency said, is probably due to the availability of government help.

However, even though the lockdown is being eased, companies are still facing problems, particularly in the hospitality sector, NVB chairman Chris Buijink said. ‘In addition, the tech industry has said it expects major problems in the coming six months.’

In total, 31,000 consumers have asked for help with mortgages and loans, but that number has hardly gone up in the past two weeks, the NVB said.