Consumer Lending

The Reserve Bank of Australia continued to keep its cash rate on hold at 1.5% throughout 2018, with little indication that it would be raising or lowering rates in the near future. In Australia, there has been uncertainty around the immediate growth ...

Japan remains a strongly cash-focused society, with the majority of people using cash as their primary payment method. Moreover, even those consumers who do use credit cards usually pay their bills in full within a month and rarely opt to pay in ...

Gross lending witnessed the continued impact of the weaker economic environment and labour market in 2018, which mainly negatively affected wholesale banking for most players. With repayments remaining a key issue for banks, companies are planning to...

2018 saw South Africa’s consumer lending industry record accelerating growth in gross lending and outstanding balance as financially strained consumers increasingly sought to borrow money to fund their lifestyles. With the economy still struggling, ...

Colombia’s Banco de la República recently lowered the benchmark interest rate in line with its expansion policy, after bringing inflation under control. However, financial institutions have not lowered their interest rates at the same speed to ...

In line with previous years’ economic dynamics and consumption, consumer lending posted another year of growth in 2018. The increasing incomes for all segments of consumers, with declining unemployment and a positive perception of the future, led to ...

After consumer lending grew strongly in 2017 due to favourable regulation to boost the domestic economy and property market in South Korea, consumer lending outstanding balance and gross lending saw further growth in current value terms in 2018, with...

The Egyptian economy has been showing signs of recovery after a prolonged recessionary period, led by high inflation rates. Whilst the inflation rate eased during 2018 and a slight improvement in the foreign exchange rate has helped restore ...

One consequence of hyperinflation is that companies and individuals request larger loans to finance any limited production operations that still continue to take place or to cover increased spending with a credit card. However, banks cannot raise the...

The lending landscape in the Netherlands can best be characterised by a relatively strong saving culture and even an aversion against applying for loans from financial institutions. The Dutch tend to keep their debts manageable and limit them mostly ...

The economic situation in France has improved significantly, with recorded GDP in 2017 reaching its highest level since 2011. By 2018, a favourable economic context translated into higher consumer confidence and rising household investment in durable...

China’s household debt level, compared with developed countries, is not excessive. This indicates that Chinese consumers are able to absorb more household debt to fuel ever-increasing consumption. On the demand side, growth is mainly driven by the ...

The confidence of Brazilian consumers is still low, especially given the poor condition of the labour market. High unemployment means that even employed consumers are reluctant to spend, as they fear being out of work in the short to medium term. ...

For the second time in a decade, the rate was raised by a quarter of a percentage point, from 0.5% to 0.75% at the start of August 2018, the highest level since March 2009. Expected to raise the interest rate in May 2018, the Bank of England waited ...

According to reliable sources, risk profiles of Hong Kong loan takers are leaning towards risk adverse, with consumer credit being an instrument that consumers actively avoid using. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority initiated a series of consumer ...

Consumer lending has grown at a healthy pace in India; and this trend is expected to continue in the forecast period. The country’s growing economy, rising disposable incomes and changing lifestyles have resulted in higher disbursals of auto and ...

Consumer lending recorded strong growth in 2018, after lower growth figures in 2016 and 2017 due to a slowdown in mortgages. Non-housing lending drove growth in 2018, with loans being taken out from both banks and non-banking credit companies to ...

Consumer lending in 2018 recorded a positive performance thanks to the overall improvement in the economy and to several other factors. Interest rates recorded their lowest levels for some years, which attracted the interest of a number of consumers....

After enjoying significant growth in 2017 thanks to the favourable economic background, in 2018 consumer lending in the Philippines showed signs of stabilisation amidst regulatory changes. While banks and non-financial institutions continued to ...

Thailand’s economy continued to register growth, which raised consumer confidence and encouraged higher spending on goods and services. The high level of household spending benefited consumer lending, especially credit cards, personal loans, hire ...