Bank lending growth sustained in May: Espenilla

Preliminary data show that outstanding loans of commercial banks, net of reverse repurchase (RRP) placements with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), grew at a slightly lower rate of 19.4 percent in May from 19.9 percent in April, BSP Governor Nestor Espenilla, Jr. said in a statement Friday. (Photo By Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, CC BY-SA 4.0)

MANILA — Preliminary data show that outstanding loans of commercial banks, net of reverse repurchase (RRP) placements with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), grew at a slightly lower rate of 19.4 percent in May from 19.9 percent in April, BSP Governor Nestor Espenilla, Jr. said in a statement Friday.

Likewise, the growth in bank lending inclusive of RRPs slowed down to 17.7 percent in May from 19.9 percent in the previous month. On a month-on-month seasonally-adjusted basis, commercial bank loans net of RRPs and loans inclusive of RRPs both increased by 1.2 percent.

BSP loans for production activities — which comprised 88.5 percent of banks’ aggregate loan portfolio, net of RRP — grew by 19.3 percent in May from 19.6 percent in the previous month.

The growth in production loans was driven primarily by increased lending to the following sectors: wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (23.4 percent); real estate activities (5.7 percent); financial and insurance activities (31.3 percent); manufacturing (17.7 percent); and electricity, gas, steam and air-conditioning supply (11.6 percent).

Bank lending to other sectors also increased during the month except in agriculture, forestry and fishing (-8.3 percent), and administrative and support services activities (49.2 percent).

Meanwhile, the growth of loans for household consumption slowed down to 18.4 percent in May from 19.0 percent in April.

The slower increase in motor vehicle loans and salary-based general purpose consumption loans as well as the contraction in other types of household loans offset the faster expansion in credit card loans in May.

The BSP will continue to ensure that the expansion in domestic credit and liquidity proceeds in line with overall economic growth while remaining consistent with the BSP’s price and financial stability objectives.