Following the approval of the Bitcoin Law in El Salvador by the members of the Legislative Assembly, which creates a legal framework that recognizes this digital currency as legal tender in the country, the IMF warns that financial and legal risks have arisen.
Negotiable certificates of deposit, a new investment tool that was authorized in El Salvador, generates expectations because it promises to improve the yield of savings and may be processed with no need to register it in an agency.
The Standards Committee of the Central Reserve Bank (BCR) authorized on February 2, 2021 the new investment tool called negotiable certificates of deposit (CDN).
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.
Given the outbreak of covid-19 and the imposition of restrictions on economic activity, between February and June of this year the amount of loans granted by the banking sector reported a 1.2% drop.
Data from the Superintendence of the Financial System (SSF) indicate that between February (the month before the beginning of the health and economic crisis) and June of this year, the credit portfolio contracted by $149 million, from $13.276 million to $13.127 million.
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.
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.
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.
In El Salvador, banks will not be able to charge any kind of penalty to clients who, due to the crisis of the covid-19, fail to pay their credit quotas.
They were approved "Temporary Technical Norms to Face Noncompliance’s and Contractual Obligations" derived from the emergency were approved, which will avoid that, during the validity of the emergency, the credit risk category of Salvadorans is affected, therefore, no penalty will be charged for non payment. With these rules will also allow the granting of credits, consolidation, restructuring and refinancing of debts in favorable conditions for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, reported the Central Reserve Bank (BCR).
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.
It is estimated that in the municipality of Antiguo Cuscatlán, in El Salvador, about 23% of the commercial establishments correspond to companies in the service sector, which are mostly beauty salons, supermarkets and clothing stores.
An analysis of commercial establishments in El Salvador, prepared by the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData, gives interesting results on the characteristics of companies operating in Antiguo Cuscatlán, a municipality in the department of La Libertad, according to their location and type of activity.
The Superintendence of Competition authorized the merger request submitted in 2019 by the conglomerates Inversiones Financieras Imperia Cuscatlán and The Bank of Nova Scotia.
Up to July 2019, gross loans in the country totaled $12,840 million, 5% more than the amount reported in the same month of 2018.
With respect to the assets of the banking system, data from the Superintendence of the Financial System (SSF) detail that up to July of this year totaled $18.558 million, which represents a $1.016 million increase when compared to the balance of the same month in 2018.
On August 26, ABANK began operations in the country, a banking institution that emerged as a result of the acquisition of Banco Azteca's shares by Grupo Perinversiones.
The Superintendence of Competition notified Imperia Intercontinental Inc., the main shareholder of Banco Cuscatlán, that the request to purchase the banking and insurance operations of the Canadian entity was accepted.
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