Interest

Rates boost local holiday pads

The sharp and large increase in the European Central Bank interest rates is developing into a strategic advantage for the Greek holiday home market: It has made potential buyers focus on markets such as Greece, where it is still possible to acquire a holiday home without needing a bank loan.

National Bank sees earnings climb in Jan-Sept

National Bank, Greece's second-largest lender by market value, on Tuesday reported higher net earnings in the first nine months of 2023 compared with the same period a year ago as net interest income rose.

NBG, 40% owned by the country's HFSF bank rescue fund, said net earnings reached 791 million euros from €680 million in the first nine months of 2022.

Spread between new deposits and loans increased in March

The interest rate spread in Greece between new deposits and loans increased to 5.50 percentage points in March as the weighted average interest rate on new deposits remained almost unchanged at 0.23%, while the corresponding rate on new loans increased to 5.73%, the Bank of Greece said on Friday.

Demand for Student Loans in Bulgaria Lowers over High Interest Rates

In 11 years, less than half of the amount of the guaranteed student loans have been reimbursed to the state. Students refrain from borrowing money because of the high interest rates, although a total of EUR 20 million was earmarked for student loans in 2021. In 11 years, only 1,274 students have applied for a student loan.

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