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  • SBP enhances loan limits to facilitate borrowers

    SBP enhances loan limits to facilitate borrowers

    KARACHI: State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has enhanced limits of loans in various categories in order to facilitate borrowers to meet demand in present conditions.

    The central bank in a statement on Monday said that it had enhanced the limits for housing finance and microenterprise loans up to Rs3 million from the existing limit of Rs1 million for borrowings from the microfinance banks. Likewise, the maximum size of general loans has been enhanced from Rs150,000 to Rs350,000.

    Further, to commensurate with enhanced loan sizes, annual income eligibility for general loans and housing loans has been increased up to Rs1.2 million and Rs1.5 million, respectively. Moreover, the limit for lending against gold collateral to meet borrowers’ immediate domestic or emergency needs has also been enhanced.

    The decision to increase the limit of housing finance loans has been made in view of the fact that the existing loan limit was insufficient to promote low cost housing finance through MFBs. Similarly, limits for lending to micro enterprises needed to be enhanced considering the large unmet demand from Micro & Small Enterprise (MSEs).

    These initiatives would further support the micro borrowers and enterprises and an early revival of economic activities in the current challenging times. However, in order to ensure sustainability, the enhanced loans sizes for housing and microenterprises would be allowed to those MFBs which are on sound footing and have the capacity to successfully cater the higher loan sizes.

    In addition, SBP Relief Package for microfinance banks, which included deferment of principal and restructuring of microfinance loans to deal with the adverse implications of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, have now been expanded with three measures.

    First, the relief measures that were earlier available from Feb 15, 2020 have now been allowed to borrowers who were regular on December 31, 2019.

    This would allow more borrowers to avail the regulatory relief who were previously not eligible. Second, to facilitate MFBs during these testing times, the provisioning requirements have been extended by 2-months; and third, client’s consent through recorded lines has been allowed to facilitate the customers to avail the relief package.

  • SBP fixes mandatory housing loan targets for banks

    SBP fixes mandatory housing loan targets for banks

    KARACHI: State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Wednesday fixed mandatory targets of housing loan disbursement for banks in order to promote housing and construction of buildings in the country.

    The central bank in a notification said that with a view to promote housing and construction of buildings (Residential and Non-Residential) in Pakistan, the SBP decided to advise mandatory targets to the banks.

    “Accordingly, each bank shall ensure that the financing for housing and construction of buildings (Residential and Non-Residential) shall be at least 5 percent of their domestic private sector credit by December, 2021,” the notification stated.

    The banks are advised to gear up their infrastructure and capacity to ensure compliance of meeting these targets.

    Accordingly, each bank is required to develop a concrete action plan with detailed measures and their timelines to achieve its housing and construction finance targets.

    This action plan should contain breakdown of overall targets into quarterly targets, development of suitable products, launching of media campaigns, development of internal technology, capacity building of staff, and other actions needed to ensure the 5 percent target is met.

    The SBP directed the banks to submit their concrete action plans to this department within 15 working days.

    Banks will be required to report data of approvals and disbursements against these targets on monthly basis starting from September 2020.

    The central bank said that it will keep a close monitoring of progress on the mandatory targets. Non-compliance in meeting the targets shall attract punitive action under the relevant provisions of the Banking Companies Ordinance, 1962.