Possibly the main public concern with regards to NBFIs’ personal loans refers to the
seemingly high interest rates of up to 28% which contrast with money market rates that only
recently have risen to about 5%. There is no question that the interest rate margin of the personal
loan business is very generous. However, this is not the same as indicating extremely high profits.
Personal loans are characterized by a considerable amount of non-performing customers and more important – operating costs are high because of low loan volumes and limited duration of loan extensions.11 Nevertheless, the boom in this business and the entrance of banks, among them
leading foreign banks, into it by means of starting non-bank businesses makes very clear that
profit opportunities are very attractive.