Between May and June of this year, the average lending rate of commercial banks has fallen from 11.52% to 10.28%, a drop that is explained by the high level of liquidity of the banks and the low placement of credits.
The pandemic that caused the outbreak of covid-19 has hit the financial system, since due to the current market conditions, the active rates have come down between the months of May and July.
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.
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.
According to Fitch Ratings, banks in Nicaragua will continue to be pressured by the remaining effects of an economic contraction for the second consecutive year, a situation derived from the political crisis affecting the country.
The Superintendence of Banks granted permission for Banco Atlántida, an entity of Honduran origin, to begin operating throughout the country under local supervision and regulation.
The constitution of Banco Atlántida in Nicaragua was authorized on October 24, 2017, but it was not until October 2, 2019 that the permit to operate in the financial system was published in La Gaceta.
Up to July 2019, the gross portfolio of the financial system totaled $3,966 million, 20% less than in the same month in 2018, partially because of the negative performance of commercial, industrial and personal credit.
During the seventh month of the year in terms of composition, the current loan portfolio represented 88.7% of the gross portfolio, while the portfolio at risk represented 11.3%.
Since the beginning of the political crisis in the country, several banks have decided to close some of their service centers, and only during the first half of 2019 have 56 branches been reported closed.
In April 2018, the country plunged into a political crisis that has dragged the economy into recession. As a result of this problem, official figures indicate that 49 bank branches were closed last year and 56 more were closed between January and June 2019.
Up to June 2019, the gross portfolio of the financial system totaled $4.047 million, 20% less than in the same month in 2018, partly explained by the performance of commercial and personal credit.
In terms of composition, the current loan portfolio represented 89.2% of the gross portfolio (89.7% in May 2019), while the portfolio at risk represented 10.8% (10.3% in May 2019).
Because of decreasing demand for credit since April last year, banks in the Nicaraguan plaza are filling up with money they can not place in the market.
According to estimates by the Nicaraguan Foundation for Economic and Social Development (Funides) based on official figures, so far this crisis has boosted the liquidity of banks, increasing the proportion of available money that financial institutions have with respect to their obligations to the public, going from 31.76% reported in March 2018 to 46.73% recorded in May this year.
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 September of this year, the gross portfolio of the country's commercial sector reached $1.703 million, which is 2.1% lower than that reported in the same month of 2017.
Central Bank of Nicaragua (BCN) reported that, at the end of September of this year, the country's gross banking portfolio reached $4,891 million, 0.3% less than that reported in the same month of 2017.
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.
Authorities stated that the start of operations of the Honduran bank Atlántida is scheduled for early May.
Following presentation of the annual report by the Superintendency of Banks and Other Financial Institutions (Siboif), the head of the institution took the opportunity to state that the bank which already is operating in the Honduran financial system will start operations in the coming weeks.
The financial group G & T Continental has obtained a general license to expand the services it provides in Panama, where it plans to strengthen its corporate and private banking area.
The financial institution started operations in Panama in July 2008 under the name of Banco Financia, S.A. (BMF) and in 2009 changed its name to Banco G & T Continental (Panamá) S.A.