Data from monetary statistics were released on Thursday (13.mar.2025) by BC
The average interest rate for families and companies in January reached 42.3% per year in free credit concessions. In the month, the increase was 1.6 percentage point (PP) and 4.6 percentage points in 12 months, according to monetary and credit statistics released this Thursday (14.mar.2025) by BC (Central Bank).
In new hires for companies, the average cost of credit reached 24.2% per year, up 2.5 percentage points in the month and 1.7 pp compared to January last year. In hiring with families, the average cost of credit reached 53.9% per year, an increase of 0.8 pp in the month and 1.6 pp in 12 months.
According to the monetary authority, the increase in interest costs for families was driven by the elevations of personal credit rates not assigned to debt composition (+5.3 pp) and financing for vehicle acquisition (+2.0 pp), as well as the higher relative participation of revolving credit card operations in the composition of the average interest rate of the segment.
In relation to companies, the reasons were the increase in average interest rates of revolving credit card operations (+103.1 pp), working capital with a deadline up to 365 days (+9.3 pp) and working capital within 365 days (+1.7 pp).
The BC also reported that the balance of credit operations in Brazil remained stable in January compared to December, totaling R $ 6.5 trillion.
“This performance stemmed from the increase of 1.2% in the credit portfolio to individuals, balance of R $ 4 trillion, mitigated by the 1.8% reduction in the balance of legal entities, which stood at R $ 2.5 trillion,” informed the BC.
In 12 months, the credit of the National Financial System (SFN) grew 11.7%, compared to 11.5% of the previous month. Credit balances to companies and families registered acceleration, with advances, in order, of 10.2% compared to 9.9% in December last year and 12.7% for families compared to 12.5% compared to the same month of 2024.
The balance of free resources credit operations – in which banks have the autonomy to lend the money raised in the market and define interest rates charged from customers – reached R $ 3.7 trillion in January, a 0.5% decrease in the month and an increase of 11.5% compared to the same period of the previous year.
Free credit for companies totaled R $ 1.5 trillion, with a monthly decrease of 3.2% and an increase of 9.7% in 12 months. The BC said that this result was largely reflected the reduction of the duplicate and other receivable discount portfolio (-15.6%), after seasonal increase in December, as well as the declines in total working capital stocks (-1.0%), advance of exchange contracts-ACC (-2.4%), external transfer (-6.8%) and anticipation of credit invoices) (-2.6%).
Free credit to families advanced 1.4% in the month and 12.7% compared to January of the previous year, totaling R $ 2.2 trillion. This performance was widely disseminated among its main modalities, especially personal credit (2.6%), financing for vehicle acquisition (2.0%), personal credit payable for INSS beneficiaries (2.3%) and revolving credit card (6.7%).
Directed credit
Regarding credit operations with targeted resources – with rules defined by the government and basically directed to sectors such as real estate, rural, infrastructure and microcredit – the BC said that in January, the balance totaled R $ 2.7 trillion, with high of 0.9% in the month and 12.1% over the same period of the previous year.
By segment, credit directed to legal entities advanced 0.6% in the month and 11.1% in twelve months, totaling R $ 901.7 billion, while in the credit intended for individuals reached R $ 1.8 trillion, with increases of 1.0% and 12.6%, in the same order.
Default
In January, the default of SFN’s total credit, considering delays over 90 days, reached 3.2% of the portfolio, with a monthly increase of 0.3 pp and a reduction of 0.1 pp compared to the same period last year.
In free credit operations, default advanced 0.3 pp in the month and retreated 0.2 pp in 12 months, reaching 4.4% of the portfolio.
For legal entities, default on free credit to those reached 2.8% of stock, with an increase of 0.3 pp in the month and a reduction of 0.5 pp in 12 months. The default rate of the free credit portfolio to families also increased by 0.3 pp in the month, remaining stable compared to the same period of the previous year, at 5.5%.
“Families indebtedness was 48.3% in December, remaining stable compared to the previous month and growing 0.6 pp compared to December 2023. Income impairment increased by 0.5 pp in the month, reaching 26.8%, higher since October 2023, interrupting the decreasing trajectory started in September 2024. The variation in twelve months reached +0.9 pp” said the BC.
Credit Extended to the non -financial sector
The BC reported that in January, the credit balance expanded to the non -financial sector – formed by funds raised abroad through loans or issuance of securities – reached R $ 18.5 trillion (155.6% of GDP), with a 0.8% drop in the month, resulting from the 4.8% decrease in external upholding inventory – reflecting the exchange rate of the 5.9% real. In 12 months, expanded credit grew 14.4%, with 16.5% advances in debt securities and 11.4% in local loans.
The credit expanded to companies totaled R $ 6.6 trillion in January, representing 55.2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a decrease of 1.9% in the month, highlighting 4.4% setbacks in external loans and 2.0% in SFN. Already the extended credit to families reached R $ 4.3 trillion (36.3% of GDP), with 1.1% expansions in the month and 12.6% in twelve months, basically reflecting the performance of SFN loans.
With information from
