The Monetary Board approved the changes to the Credit Risk Regulations, which were proposed by the Superintendence of Banks and seek to simplify the requirements for loans not exceeding $160,000.
In this scenario of economic crisis resulting from the outbreak of covid-19, the objective of the endorsed modifications is to favor SMEs and individuals to gain access to credit lines offered by commercial banks.
The coronavirus has left an economic impact in several countries. For this reason, some governments are developing exceptional measures to mitigate its effects. For example, the suspension of tax and mortgage payments to lessen the economic pressure on small businesses and households.
In the United States, interest rates were reduced to almost zero and a US$700 billion stimulus program was launched in a bid to protect its economy, says Mario Miranda, director of finance at MonederoSMART.
Fitch Ratings agreed to change the perspective of the region's banks from stable to negative, arguing that the current health crisis will affect financial institutions in all countries.
Considering the measures that countries have adopted in the last 15 days in economic matters, following the spread of covid-19, Fitch expects that there will be a decrease in the issuance of loans.
Increased demand for credit and more requests for loan restructuring is part of what the covid-19 crisis has brought to Guatemala's banking sector.
According to representatives of the Guatemalan Banking Association (ABG), the spread of covid-19 and the restrictive measures that have been decreed in the country are affecting the liquidity of companies, many of which have no income and must use credit to pay their bills.
The impact of the coronavirus crisis on the financial sector in Central America is expected to be felt mainly in services related to stock brokerage and investment advice, where a drop is expected.
The "Information System for the Impact Analysis of Covid-19 on Business", prepared by the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData, measures the degree of impact that the crisis will have on companies according to their sector or economic activity, during the coming months.
In Guatemala, banks will grant deferrals and will wait for loans whose debtors are directly or indirectly affected by the spread of the coronavirus, specifically those that are not more than one month late on February 29.
The Guatemalan Banking Association (ABG) reported on March 21 that these decisions were made with the objective of supporting clients and users of banking services, who will be affected by the spread of covid-19.
Arguing that there were arbitrariness and that due process had not been complied with, former representatives of Financiera de Occidente S.A. decided to file a legal appeal following the suspension of the entity.
In order to preserve savings and the stability of the national banking system, the Monetary Board decided to suspend the operations of Banco de Credito, an entity that represents 0.2% of the total assets of the local banking system.
The Superintendence of Banks will have to communicate to the general public the mechanism to be used to make operative the management of the deposits constituted in the Banco de Credito, informed the Central Bank.
Experts and authorities believe that the ruling by the Guatemalan Constitutional Court revoking the suspension preventing access to taxpayers' bank information for fiscal purposes could be reversed with another legal action.
In recent days, the issue has become more relevant in the country, because after a year of being suspended access to banking information for tax purposes, on August 6 the Constitutional Court finally ruled, authorizing the Superintendence of Tax Administration (SAT) to review the accounts of taxpayers.
Arguing that it does not comply with the standards on transparency and exchange of information for tax purposes, the OECD evaluated Guatemala negatively and recommended working on direct access to taxpayers' banking information.
As planned, following the temporary suspension by the Constitutional Court (CC) of the article of law facilitating access to taxpayers' bank information, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) decided to include Guatemala in the list of countries that do not comply with their fiscal information commitments.
From May 2019, foreign customers will have to declare to local system banks that their funds meet their country's tax requirements.
The Superintendence of Banks of Panama (SBP) approved Agreement 02-2019, which implements the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force, which consists of expanding the required due diligence measures of banks with their customers.
At the end of 2018, credit granted to the business sector in Guatemala registered a 7% increase over December of the previous year.
Figures from the Superintendence of Banks specify that up to December 2018 the credit portfolio reached $23.064 million and investment in securities $11.324 million, which compared to 2017 is equivalent to 6.8% and 11.3% increases, respectively.
On February 14th and 15th, representatives of banks, international financial institutions and risk rating agencies will meet in Panama City to discuss issues related to the sector.
The event called "International Banking Congress for Regulators & Bankers," will be organized by the Superintendence of Banks of Panama (SBP) and seeks to address issues such as Basel III, prevention of money laundering, de-risking, new risks facing the industry, financial innovation-Fintech, cybersecurity, among others.
Banco de Antigua has announced the acquisition of the microcredit portfolio of the G & T Continental entity, which will continue to focus on consumer and corporate areas.
G & T Continental Bank reported that the operation is due to a restructuring process to meet the new technological trends in the financial market.