Indonesia cbank: banks to disclose prime lending rates

November 27, 2010 - 0:0
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's central bank will require banks to disclose their prime lending rates starting Jan. 1 next year in an aim to boost lending in Southeast Asia's largest economy, governor Darmin Nasution said on Friday. This year's lending growth is estimated to end up below the central bank's forecast of 22-24 percent, a Bank Indonesia deputy governor has said, despite the central bank holding rates at a historical low of 6.5 percent all year to drive lending. As of the third week of November, lending has grown by 16.4 percent year-to-date. Bank Indonesia is still aiming for lending to expand at 22-24 percent next year. Businesses view commercial lending rates as too high at around 13-14 percent, making them look for other means of financing such as issuing corporate bonds or doing rights issues, analysts said. ""It's an alternative to boost lending growth. The Bank Indonesia rate alone is never enough to boost lending growth. This will push competition between banks to be more efficient,"" said Eric A. Sugandi, an economist at Standard Chartered. Bank Indonesia announced in September that banks have to have a loan-to-deposit ratio of 78-100 percent, or they will be punished by having to put more cash into reserves at the central bank. Bank Rakyat Indonesia, the country's second largest lender by assets, expects 20 percent loan growth in 2011, while Bank Negara Indonesia , the fourth largest lender by assets, expects 16-17 percent loan growth next year. Analysts said faster business expansion could make Indonesia's economy grow above 7 percent, from expectations of about 6 percent for this year. Analysts have pushed back their forecasts for when Bank Indonesia will start normalizing interest rates, but still see building inflationary pressures leading the central bank to hike its key interest rate in the first half of next year.