Urging dialogue when such systemic issues are at stake, the head of Slovenia's leading bank said "we indeed need to behave responsibly and manage future risks proactively, but the last restrictions by Banka Slovenije intervene in the everyday life of Slovenians in a way banks find too radical".

"It is not so much about the banking economy, but about a pensioner with an average pension not being able to access credit and a family with average income not being able to buy a room in Ljubljana. This is not normal for me and we need to talk about it," he said on the sidelines of a ceremony in London marking the first anniversary of NLB's listing.

"We know that two-thirds of Slovenians have below-average income and such an intervention in the social system, into people's social status cannot be adopted unilaterally," Brodnjak added.

He agrees anomalies like 15-year loans for mobile phones needed to be eradicated, but he noted that kitchens and similar goods had a life span of 20 years for instance.

Thus he hopes appropriate solutions, ones that do not halve the number of creditworthy people over night, can be found in dialogue.

Brodnjak moreover expressed concern people would turn to the grey market, an expectation also voiced today by the Market Inspectorate, which warned against borrowing from loan sharks.

"With such creditors consumers are exposed to greater risk and different types of debt collection rules," the inspectors wrote, noting the restrictions did not apply to non-banking creditors.

"And under no circumstances should consumers opt for loans with providers who do not have the necessary licence," it added, urging people to read all contracts with utmost care.