Bank lending closes flat in December

Singapore

BANK lending in Singapore closed off 2017 on a flat note, reflecting the contraction in lending in key business segments that include finance, construction and trade.

Loans through the domestic banking unit - which captures lending in all currencies, but mainly reflects Singapore-dollar lending - stood at S$652 billion in December, compared to S$654 billion in November, preliminary data from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) on Wednesday showed.