Singapore bank lending up 0.2% in Feb on business loans: MAS data

DRIVEN by higher business loans amid the virus outbreak that began late January, bank lending in Singapore inched up 0.2 per cent in February from a month ago, fresh preliminary data from the Monetary Authority of Singapore showed on Tuesday. 

Loans through the domestic banking unit - which captures lending in all currencies, but reflects mainly Singapore-dollar lending - stood at S$692.85 billion in February, compared with S$691.15 billion in January. 

Business loans were up 0.6 per cent from January to S$430.91 billion, boosted by a rise in loans to financial institutions, manufacturing, general commerce, business services as well as the transport, storage and communication sector. 

But consumer loans fell 0.3 per cent month-on-month to S$261.93 billion in February. 

From a year ago, total lending rose 3.1 per cent.