BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 23. The World Bank (WB) notes the active growth of lending to the Azerbaijani economy during April 2023, Trend reports.
Lending to the economy grew at a high pace in April. In particular, the loan portfolio of banks in April increased by 1.6 percent compared to March, business loans - by 1.2 percent, consumer lending – by 2.1 percent.
Deposits increased by 1.9 percent, which was driven by an increase in foreign currency deposits by 2.5 percent, while manat deposits - by 1.4 percent.
The dollarization indicator has stabilized at the level of 46 percent of deposits. Banks' profits increased by 29 percent in nominal terms in April due to a dramatic increase in interest income.
According to the WB’s report, there was a slowdown in the GDP growth rate – up to 0.1 percent (from January through April), a slowdown in food inflation to 12.9 percent, the preservation of a positive balance in foreign trade, and an increase in fiscal surplus during this period.