Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Damascus, SANA – The first conference for banking and insurance kicked off on Wednesday in Damascus to discuss the role of insurance companies and banks as part of the national economy under the current crisis.
In a speech delivered at the opening of the conference, Finance Minister Ismael Ismael asserted that the public and private banks have not ceased withdrawal operations inspite of all the challenges and the rumors that have led to a sharp decline in liquidity in 2011 and 2012.
He added that confidence in the banking sector has been restored by the beginning of 2013, explaining that deposit rate has risen gradually, with the liquidity improving to reach 33% at the Real Estate Bank, 38% at the Commercial Bank and 35 % at the Savings Bank.
Granting loans for small and medium projects have also been resumed, Minister Ismael said.
He also hailed the performance of the insurance companies under the unfair sanctions imposed on Syria, pointing out that the insurance premiums in the first half of 2015 reached SYP 10 billion, making an increase of 16.69 %
Reem/H.said
