DUSHANBE, April 30, Asia-Plus -- A working group met at the National Bank of Tajikistan (NBT) on April 28 to discuss the loan interest rate reduction issues.

The meeting participants included representatives from the Credit Bureau, the Deposit Insurance Fund and the Association of Microfinance Organizations of Tajikistan.

According to Tajik central bank, they discussed issues related to development of the country’s banking sector, including cooperation of financial institutions with the credit bureau, increase in deposit volumes, reduction of loan interest rates, credit risk management, improvement of professionalism of bank personnel, and access to small loan, especially in remote mountain areas.

We will recall that the remainder of loans provided by Tajik banks rose 39.8 percent in a year to March 31, 2014, reaching 8.0373 billion somoni.

3.2642 billion somoni were provided in loans in the national currency and 4.7731 billion somoni were provided in loans in foreign currencies.

In March 2014, the weighted average interest rate for loans provided in the national currency was 27.06 percent and the weighted average interest rate for loans provided in foreign currencies was 23.11 percent, Tajik central bank noted.