Singapore banks' 2015 loan growth seen tepid, says Maybank Kim Eng
By Frankie Ho / theedgemarkets.com | February 23, 2015 : 9:24 AM MYT
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SINGAPORE (Feb 23): Loan growth for the three Singapore banks is expected to be tepid this year, after having increased 5.8% in 2014 following four years of double-digit expansion, says Maybank Kim Eng.
"We expect housing loan demand to stay listless this year, weighed down by a still-slack property market," Maybank Kim Eng analysts Ng Wee Siang and Ng Li Hiang wrote in a note today.
"Business loans should be propped up by building and construction loans and an expected rebound in general-commerce loans in 2H15," they said.
US-dollar-denominated loan growth should do better, although this is also expected to slow down in 2015, they noted.
While Singapore banks have emerged as "credible" providers of US-dollar loans in the wake of the eurozone crisis, they are expected to face "slowing traction" this year amid a slowdown in the global economy, they said.
Loans in US dollars provided by Singapore banks grew 17.8% last year, down from 34.8% in 2013.
On the flip side, Singapore banks are "well equipped" to handle any US-dollar liquidity crunch, according to the analysts.
"USD loans are largely short-term trade loans, which can be run down quickly in a liquidity crunch. Banks have alternative funding sources in short-term commercial papers and currency swaps with the Monetary Authority of Singapore."