The growth of Italian residents’ deposits at domestic banks doubled in May while lending to businesses fell sharply, the Bank of Italy said on Wednesday.

Deposits increased 3.8% year-on-year in May after rising 1.9% in April, central bank data showed.

Bank loans to businesses were down 1.4% year-on-year, the central bank said, following a 0.8% decline in April.

The issuance of bank bonds was little moved, data also showed, with sales down 0.3% year-on-year in May after a 0.2% rise in April.