Individual Belarusian banks are meeting customers halfway in repaying foreign currency loans with rubles

April 7, Minsk /BELTA/. Some Belarusian banks are meeting clients halfway in repaying foreign currency loans with rubles, a BELTA correspondent reports. In particular, OJSC "ASB Belarusbank" accepts payments for foreign currency loans in Belarusian rubles. This was reported to a BELTA correspondent by the bank's Chairman of the Board, Nadezhda Yermakova. "If a borrower does not have foreign currency, we accept payments in rubles. The exchange rate is calculated based on the National Bank's rate plus 2%. Thus, the bank bears all losses," Nadezhda Yermakova said. At the same time, she reminded that citizens can convert their entire foreign currency loan into a ruble loan, but the terms of providing funds will change. After converting foreign currency loans into Belarusian rubles, the terms applicable to this type of loan in Belarusian rubles as of the date of signing the additional agreement to the loan agreement will be established for the loan agreements, with the following features. For foreign currency loans, the interest payments for which were made in equal installments, when changing the loan currency, the procedure for paying interest for using the loan in Belarusian rubles is established: by making equal installments - with an interest rate of 17% per annum established under the loan agreement; for the actual time of using the loan - with an interest rate of 14.5% per annum established under the loan agreement. The recalculation is carried out at the selling rate established for operations using OJSC "ASB Belarusbank" bank plastic cards on the date of signing the additional agreement to the loan agreement. In total, the current debt on foreign currency loans of individuals in Belarusbank amounts to $90 million equivalent, or Br277 billion, which is about 1.6% of the total debt on loans to individuals. OJSC "Belinvestbank" explained to a BELTA correspondent that the bank works with individuals on foreign currency loans within the framework of concluded agreements, which do not provide for payments in rubles. "But we are trying to sell foreign currency to citizens for the repayment of foreign currency loans, as both parties to the transaction should bear the risks," the bank said. "We have a small portfolio of foreign currency debt, there are few such loans, so this situation is not critical for the bank," specialists explained. At the same time, Belinvestbank noted that the re-registration of foreign currency loans into ruble loans has been temporarily suspended. "It is not yet known how we will work further. We will see how the situation develops in the market," the bank emphasized. OJSC "Priorbank" is also meeting clients halfway. The bank noted: "Individual clients currently have the opportunity to make current payments on foreign currency loans both in the currency of the loan and in Belarusian rubles. The transaction is carried out at the rate established by the bank for currency exchange operations for the current date." OJSC "Belvnesheconombank" sells foreign currency to the population (without amount restrictions) for the repayment of foreign currency loans obtained from this bank. In general, the share of foreign currency loans in Belvnesheconombank is insignificant. -0-