The increase in nonperforming bank loans from 12.9 to 15.3% during this year, is a reflection of the low level of activity in our economy. Reducing the weighted average of these credits would be a good sign for the banking system and its clients, says president of the National Bank of Moldova (BNM) Dorin Dragutanu, cited by Info-Prim Neo. “The businesses have troubles with returning loans; hence, the worsening of the banks’ portfolios. However, this level of nonperforming loans is not one to worry about, being similar to the one registered in other countries from the region. It is important that banks correctly evaluate the risks their portfolios carry, and the BNM helps them, in this sense, through regular inspections, and also they should be rigorous in these evaluations and decisions on the loans given, as well as being more prudent”, he said. “We do not expect, for now, a sudden deterioration of the banks’ credit portfolios; the risks were mostly pointed out by the banks, and the situation is not the same in every one of them, some have a slightly accentuated deterioration of the portfolio. But there are also other situations. We tell banks to appreciate their risks as conservatively as possible, and take the correct decision in a difficult economic situation. The reduction of the number of nonperforming loans in bank portfolios would be a positive signal for the banking system, the BNM, as a regulator, for banks’ clients and for the economy of Moldova as a whole”, added the president of BNM.