Interest rates cut expected to attract borrowers

Illustrative image (Photo: tapchitaichinh,vn)

The fourth cut in a row of regulatory interest rates by the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has provided an opportunity for commercial banks to reduce interest rates, thus attracting borrowers.

General Director of Eximbank Tran Tan Loc said the bank has still recorded credit growth in terms of short-term lending.

The demand for loans in the market is on the rise, he said.

According to SBV governor Nguyen Thi Hong, credit growth in the first months of 2023 remained limited but many sectors still have great demand of capital.

The demand for loans of production and manufacturing businesses has decreased due to a lack of orders, while the non-production sectors have the need to borrow to address liquidity problems.

Experts have quoted the forecasts of commercial banks as saying that the credit demand was low in the second quarter of 2023, and it is unlikely to increase sharply in the second half of the year because businesses are still facing many difficulties, although lending interest rates have dropped significantly after central bank's three policy interest rate cuts from March to May.

According to the latest data of the SBV, the average lending interest rate for new loans is at 9.07% a year at present, down 0.9% compared to the end of last year.

Commercial banks have all lowered lending rates to stimulate investment and consumption demand, but the new interest rates are mainly applied to new loans. Only a few commercial banks (mainly state-owned commercial banks) reduce interest rates on existing loans.