Private lending brakes abruptly and deposits start falling in July
Individuals and companies borrowed much less in July, the first
month Goverment's austerity measures were enforced, so that the
volume of private lending registered a steep decline, by four
billion RON, to 206.7bn RON (the equivalent of 48.7bn euros).
The decline was largely caused by the exchange rate impact, given
that the RON in July rose by almost 2.8% against the euro,
triggering an artificial decline of foreign currency-denominated
loans when reported in RON.
RON lending posted a slight increase of 0.2% last month, to 78.6bn
RON, owing to corporate borrowing, according to NBR data. However,
the increase is way below July inflation of 2.4%.
Meanwhile, the volume of foreign currency loans dropped by 3.2% in
RON, to 128.1bn RON (30.2bn euros). Denominated in euros, foreign
currency lending slid by 0.4%.
Bankers say many clients have become cautious about borrowing amid
Government's austerity moves, so that loan demand remains
weak.
At the same time, both the individuals and companies in July spent
money from deposits opened with banks, so that their total amount
dropped by 1.3% against June. RON deposits fell by 0.7%, to 104.8bn
RON, while foreign currency savings, denominated in euro, slightly
increased by 0.5%, to 14.9bn euros (63.1bn RON).