Banks flout dollar loan interest ca

Banks flout dollar loan interest cap.


Some commercial banks have been increasing the interest rates they offer on US dollar deposits beyond the current ceiling of 2 per cent per year imposed by the State Bank of Viet Nam – with some customers reporting that they have been offered short-term rates of 3-3.5 per cent and even above 4 per cent for larger sums.
Nguyen Bich Van of Nhan Chinh commune in Ha Noi's Thanh Xuan District, intended to deposit US$15,000 and was warmly offered 3 per cent interest by a credit institution on Lang Ha Street. Van eventually negotiated a rate of 3.5 per cent. " “Many depositors have told us that they would withdraw their deposits if we didn't raise the interest rate," said the director of one commercial bank who asked to remain anonymous. "The ceiling rate of 2 per cent is rarely followed." To hide the unlawful levels of interest, many banks have launched promotion programmes and investment programmes that guarantee the additional payment to the depositor. "Some banks are trying to call in dollars in anticipation of higher lending demand," said the bank director. Pham Van Vinh, director of Van An Co Ltd, a water pipe distributors, said US dollar loans were now much cheaper than those in dong. A VND3 trillion ($145.6 million) loan would cost him monthly interest of approximately VND60 million ($2,910), while the interest costs on US dollar loans converted into dong would be only VND19 million ($920).
"Such a difference has been the principal driver in increasingly strong demand for US dollars in recent weeks," Vinh said.
According to State Bank statistics, deposits in foreign currencies have increased by 8.9 per cent since the end of last year, while outstanding loans in foreign currencies have shot up by 22.4 per cent. Private depositors account for 70 per cent of the total foreign currency on hand in commercial banks.