The economic slowdown in 2014 forced the bank to be more cautious about non-performing loans (NPLs), and so it concentrated on customers who had to restructure their debts to ensure they were able to recover in 2015. Lending at SCB should grow by 5-6 per cent, in line with the banking industry, based on the assumption that gross domestic product will expand by 3.5 per cent. The drivers of growth will be SMEs and corporates, because 2014 was not a good year for retail lending, particularly auto loans.