YEREVAN, October 8. / ARKA /. Interest rates on loans in Armenian national currency, the dram, may drop depending on inflation forecasts, monetary policies and the refinancing rate, a deputy governor of the Central Bank, Nerses Yeritsyan, told the parliament on Tuesday.
According to him, inflation projections for the next three years are quite low, although inflationary pressures are possible. As regards the refinancing rate, Yeritsyan said the regulator keeps it unchanged, but in the case of emergence of new inflation expectations, it may even be reduced.
“There was a short-term sharp rise in rates, which was due to the crisis and shocks on the market in late 2014, as well as sharp fluctuations in the exchange rate,” Yeritsyan said, adding that these trends are no longer observed.
According to the Central Bank, in August interest rates on loans in Armenian drams repayable in less than 12 months increased by 0.68 percentage points to 18.86%, while loans in US dollars increased by 0.37 percentage points to 10.76%. Interest rates on loans in drams repayable in more than a year rose by 0.61 percentage points to 18.26%, and loans in US Dollars became more expensive by 0.7 percentage points being issued at 11.79%.
According to the National Statistical Service, the 12-month inflation in August was 3.6%. In September the Central Bank left the refinancing rate unchanged at 10.25%. ($ 1 – 480.33 drams). -0-
