DUBAI- Demand for business loans rose moderately across the board in the January-March quarter, with the exception of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, and is expected to increase further in the current quarter, a central bank survey showed on Wednesday.

The net balance measure for business lending - the weighted percentage of respondents reporting an increase in demand for loans minus those reporting a fall - was plus 4.6 in the latest quarter compared to plus 7.5 in the previous quarter.

For the current quarter, respondents expect the net balance measure to climb to plus 21.4.

However, demand for personal loans decreased in the latest quarter and is expected to remain weak in the current quarter, the survey found.

(Reporting by Andrew Torchia; Editing by Saeed Azhar) ((andrew.torchia@thomsonreuters.com; +9715 6681 7277; Reuters Messaging: andrew.torchia.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))