The Central Bank announced it will release US$45 million retained from private banking as part of a general program underway for the past months to reactivate the economy. Diario Libre says that the move would ensure the stability of the exchange rate and could have a positive effect of pushing lending interest rates further downward. In the first semester of the year interest rates have declined four points. The Listin Diario reports today that interest rates are dropping and the prime rate is now at around 15.83%, the lowest level registered in the past five years. This is 1.69 points below the 17.52% average for August of this year.
