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银行业:2.47万亿中非法郎(约42.6亿美元)储备金与中小企业融资困境并存
Shang Wu Bu Wang Zhan·2025-07-18 16:28

Core Insights - The banking sector in Cameroon is criticized for insufficient credit support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), despite reporting strong financial performance [1][2] - As of March 2025, the CEMAC banking system holds a substantial liquidity reserve of 2.472 trillion Central African Francs (approximately $42.6 billion), which is 2.25 times the regulatory requirement, indicating potential for credit expansion [1] - Government credit constitutes only 32.5% of total credit to the real economy, while private sector credit has increased by 22.4%, highlighting a shift in lending dynamics [1][2] Banking Performance - BGFI Group's Cameroon subsidiary projects a net profit of 11 billion Central African Francs (approximately $0.2 million) for 2024, reflecting a 9% increase from 2023 [1] - Société Générale's local subsidiary reported a net profit of 2.98 billion Central African Francs (approximately $513.8 million) [1] SME Financing Challenges - SMEs in the CEMAC region face significant financing challenges, including limited access to credit and high effective borrowing rates of 15%-17% [2] - A large portion of private sector credit flows to a few large enterprises, often subsidiaries of multinational companies, rather than to SMEs [2] Risk Factors for SMEs - SMEs struggle with weak risk resilience, making them vulnerable during economic shocks, compounded by political uncertainty in election years [2] - The cost of credit assessment for SMEs is high due to information asymmetry, leading banks to invest substantial resources in lending decisions [2] - The total amount of non-performing loans in the banking sector reached 840 billion Central African Francs (approximately $14.5 million) as of March 31, indicating potential asset quality concerns [2]