进一步强化放债人监管 香港财库局提出六项主要措施

Core Viewpoint - The Hong Kong government is proposing measures to enhance regulation of the lending market, particularly focusing on unsecured personal loans, to protect borrowers, especially low-income individuals, from over-borrowing and its negative impacts on personal and societal levels [1] Group 1: Strengthening Regulation of Unsecured Personal Loans - The Financial Secretary's office suggests strengthening regulations on unsecured personal loans by proposing two options for public consultation: setting a cumulative loan limit based on the borrower's monthly income or a limit based on the debt-to-income ratio [2] - It is recommended that lenders should not grant unsecured personal loans with repayment terms exceeding the remaining duration of the borrower's employment contract [2] Group 2: Protecting Public Interests - Currently, loan applicants may provide a loan consultant, whose role is limited to providing information about the applicant, without any responsibility for loan repayment [3] - To address issues where employers are disturbed by their domestic workers' borrowing, three options are proposed: requiring lenders to verify the consultant's consent, mandating in-person signing of consent at the lender's premises, or prohibiting lenders from requiring a consultant in unsecured loan applications [3] Group 3: Enhancing Borrower Affordability Assessment - The government encourages the lending industry to participate in "Credit Reference" to assist in detailed risk assessments before loan approvals [4] - It is suggested that all lenders must regularly provide personal credit data of borrowers to "Credit Reference" to improve the completeness of personal credit data [4] - Lenders engaged in unsecured personal loans at a certain level must join "Credit Reference" to obtain borrowers' personal credit reports [4] Group 4: Optimizing Complaint Handling - The Companies Registry is monitoring the overall regulation of the lending industry and compliance with licensing conditions [5] - To enhance public interest protection, the registry will increase transparency in handling complaints against lenders and study ways to strengthen oversight of complaint handling procedures [5] Group 5: Strengthening Public Education - The Financial Secretary's office will enhance education for domestic workers, youth, and low-income individuals to improve their understanding of borrowing and promote prudent borrowing practices [6] - Emphasis will be placed on reminding domestic workers not to provide their employer as a loan consultant or use their employer's address as a contact for borrowing [6] - The office will focus on promoting financial prudence among youth and low-income groups, encouraging them to consider their repayment ability before borrowing [6] Group 6: Optimizing Lender Regulation System - To further strengthen regulation of lenders, the Financial Secretary's office suggests optimizing the current regulatory system, including licensing mechanisms and the "Money Lenders Ordinance" [7] - It is also proposed to publish details of repeatedly violating lenders on the government website to enhance deterrence and transparency [7]