Impossible to regulate cheap loans, mortgage manually – Alfa-Bank general manager

Cheap loans and mortgage should be based on economic stability, otherwise it is impossible to regulate such programs manually, General Manager of Alfa-Bank Rafal Juszczak has said.

"The idea of making [banks] to open deposits at 5% will reduce the interest rate to 10% indeed. But where is confidence here? The bank is confidence. The economy is stability, predictability. Would you deposit your private money at 5% under a threat of devaluation? Such actions will provoke a response – we won't see deposit inflows," the banker said in an exclusive interview to Interfax-Ukraine.

Juszczak also spoke in favor of a free market as long as market mechanisms operate there and it is impossible to force people to do anything.

"I would focus on economic stability. Hence, the interest rates will gradually decrease," he said.

Alfa-Bank's general manager also noted that a slowdown in rates could promote changes in banks as their interest income would decrease.

He also said that Alfa-Bank's interest rates remain at the market level, although they may keep decreasing.

"I don't rule out that against the background of such a positive dynamics in interest rates we will be able to offer a new product with a very attractive rate so as to get an additional market share due to the price," Juszczak said.

At the same time, the banker mentioned that the future of the crisis is still not clear.

"I agree with out macroeconomist Oleksiy Blinov: he is not as pessimistic as other analysts. Today many of them say that Ukraine, thanks to the specifics of its economy, will get even stronger after this crisis than many other countries," he said.

As of June 1, 2020, Alfa-Bank ranked sixth among 75 banks operating in the country in terms of total assets (UAH 94.113 billion).

Source: www.en.interfax.com.ua