Expensive loans still an impediment, survey

Moldova's banking system is playing a passive role in facilitating investment activity of the country, in mobilizing internal resources, in forming and modernizing the economy's capital. This explains the overly expensive loans offered by the banks and the limited access of the so-called real sector to them. These are some of the findings included in a survey on the costs of crediting published by the Expert-Grup Analytical Center, Info-Prim Neo reports. Adrian Lupusor, the survey's author, said that while the proportion of the loans offered to the real sector in the GDP rose in recent years by more than 10 percent, it remains to be one of the lowest in the region, and only in Albania this indicator is lower. The expert explains the situation on the costs of the attracted resources. Because of the people's lack of confidence in banks, the latter are forced to stimulate depositing of savings by offering relatively high interest rates. Other causes include rather high profit margins and exaggerated risk premiums. Expert-Grup has formulated a number of recommendations to enhance macroeconomic stability, improve the business climate and attract foreign investment into the banking sector. These include the development by the banks of new savings offers, more attractive for the population, like long-term personal savings accounts which would subsequently entitle the holder to take out loans on preferential terms. Another way to improve confidence in banks, according to Expert-Grup, is to increase the guarantee on depositors' savings through government contribution. Currently deposits are guaranteed by the banks alone, and the share of guaranteed savings represented 11.1% in 2009, one of the lowest figures in Europe. Lower profit margins and risk premiums, and the introduction of non-judicial foreclosure instruments, are also recommended by Expert-Grup. The survey also stresses the need to develop the financial market, including micro-financing, leasing and factoring institutions that could serve as alternatives to bank loans. Over the last year, the interest rate on bank loans decreased by two percentage points to an average of 15%. National Bank Governor Dorin Dragutanu earlier stated that the banks had enough resources and would be willing to offer them to the real sector, but their lending proposals were limited.