Bosnia’s commercial banks assets grew 4.2% y/y to BAM 23bn (EUR 11.8bn) at end-November 2013, quickening from a 4.1% y/y rise the month before, central bank (CBBH) data showed. The growth was supported by a mild increase of retail lending activity and higher banks' reserves. The assets accounted for 87.8% of the full-year GDP forecast, up from 86.3% a year ago, according to IntelliNews calculations.
Bank loans rose 2.2% to BAM 16bn at end-November, speeding up from a 1.8% y/y hike at end-October, mainly reflecting stronger household lending growth. Since the start of 2013 loan growth has been moving below the 2012 average of 4.9%.
Retail loans, went up 3.5% y/y to BAM 7bn at end-November, accelerating from a 3.0% annual increase the month before. Credits to companies inched up 0.9% y/y to BAM 8.3bn at end-November, after edging up 0.6% y/y at end-October.
Bosnia’s commercial banks' reserves, including cash in banks’ vaults and banks’ deposits with the central bank, climbed 19.3% y/y to BAM 3.8bn at end-November following a 16.9% y/y rise a month earlier. Their share in total banking sector assets grew to 16% as of end-November from 14% a year ago.
Lending activity is projected to grow 4.0% in 2013, the same as the year before, according to the latest forecast of the government's Directorate for Economic Planning (DEP).
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