The increase was a slowdown compared with April when lending rose 51.4% year-on-year and 2% on the month.
On the month, private lending rose 1.3% in May in real terms, slower than the monthly rises of 2% in April and 3.3% in March.
Private lending in foreign currency rose 65% on the year in May and 1.4% on the month in real terms, while local currency lending rose 30.6% on the year and 1.9% on the month in May, the bank said.
In May, the central bank raised its main lending rate by 25 basis points to 9.75% from 9.5% for the fifth time in a row, in a bid to curb surging inflation, which started in 2007, driven by a low farming output and a lending boom spurring consumption.
Romania’s annual inflation rate accelerated to 8.62% in April, almost its highest level since January 2006.