In order to face the crisis generated by the covid-19 outbreak, Costa Rica extended until December 31, 2021 the measure that allows clients of financial institutions to benefit from extensions, refinancing and readjustments without the need to carry out debtor stress analysis.
According to Conassif, additionally, banks were asked to reapply their internal policies for measuring the payment capacity of each client as of April 1, 2021.
Between July and October 2020, the number of people in El Salvador exploring mortgage options online increased by 18%, and the number of Costa Rican consumers looking to buy credit cards decreased by 60%.
CentralAmericaData's interactive platform Consumer Insights monitors in real time the changes in consumer habits in all markets in the region and in other Latin American countries, with fundamental information to understand their behavior, new trends and anticipate eventual changes in their purchase patterns.
In Costa Rica, the Alvarado administration would be considering the creation of a tax on each transaction that a person or company makes through a financial entity, a tax that will discourage savings and motivate people to use cash.
In order to discuss a medium and long term credit with the International Monetary Fund, the Costa Rican authorities would be planning to design and create a new tax, which consists of each person paying a tax of ¢3 for every ¢1.000 in the transactions they make through a bank, finance company, mutual fund, stock exchange or any other financial entity.
The official notice obliging all entities of the country's financial system to provide the tax authorities with information on the bank accounts of all their foreign clients was published in the Gazette.
In the countries of the region, more than 8 million people are looking for credit on the Internet. Of this group of consumers, approximately 9% explore options for taking out a student loan.
The interactive information system developed by CentralAmericaData monitors in real time the changes in consumer habits in all markets of the region, with fundamental information to understand the new commercial environment that has emerged in an accelerated manner.
Following the entry into force of the Usury Law, the Central Bank published the maximum annual interest rates, which for credit operations in colons amount to 37.69% and 30.36% in dollars.
The law that was published on June 20, 2020 establishes the methodology to be used to set the maximum interest rate, and stipulates that the Central Bank of Costa Rica must publish on its website and on The Gazette, the maximum usury rates in the first week of January and July each year.
At a regional level, nearly 16 million people are looking to purchase financial services online. Of this group of consumers, approximately 11% are exploring options for acquiring a credit card.
The interactive information system developed by CentralAmericaData, monitors in real time the changes in consumer habits in all markets of the region, with fundamental information to understand the new commercial environment that has emerged in an accelerated manner.
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.
Managers of Costa Rica's financial institutions predict that due to the health crisis the country is going through, the demand for credit from companies and families will continue to fall in the coming months.
Figures from the Central Bank of Costa Rica state that between March 2019 and the same month in 2020, the balance of money lent by public and private banks to companies and families decreased by 2.3%, from $28,559 million to $27,908 million.
This week, the Basic Passive Rate continued to fall, from 3.8% to 3.75%, while the Effective Rate in dollars also fell, from 1.94% to 1.84%.
The Central Bank of Costa Rica published on the afternoon of Wednesday, April 15 that after registering considerable drops in the previous weeks, the Basic Passive Rate fell again, in this case by 0.05% and will remain at 3.75% until next Wednesday, April 23.
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.
CABEI granted a loan that will be assigned to the country's state banks, resources that will be used to support the productive sectors in the context of the national emergency.
With the aim of strengthening the liquidity of state banks in the face of the national emergency caused by the covid-19 pandemic, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) authorized the disbursement of US$50 million for the Banco Nacional de Costa Rica and US$40 million for the Banco de Costa Rica, reported the international organization.
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.
The Basic Passive Rate remained at 4.5%, while the Effective Dollar Rate reported a decrease, in this case from 2.38% to 2.35%.
The Central Bank of Costa Rica published on Wednesday afternoon, March 11, that after registering a decrease the previous week, the Basic Liable Rate reported no variations for the next few days and will remain at 4.5% until March 18.
For the Central Bank of Costa Rica, the constant reductions in the Monetary Policy Rate that have taken place since March 2019 have been gradually and incompletely transferred to the interest rates of the financial system.