Правительство: новый обменный курс не повлияет на 99,5 % банковских кредитов

Заместитель министра жилищного строительства и городского планирования Джошуа Беллотт признал, что введение нового режима гибкого обменного курса повлияет на людей, имеющих кредиты в долларах, хотя и заверил, что речь идет о небольшой группе и что экономика восстановит стабильность в ближайшие недели. Чиновник пояснил, что изменение валютного режима направлено на то, чтобы положить конец неопределенности, вызванной сосуществованием официального и параллельного обменных курсов — ситуации, которая, по его словам, стала одной из главных причин роста цен, зафиксированного в последние месяцы. «Это будет временным явлением. Теперь у нас будет стабильность и единый обменный курс. В будущем таких проблем больше не должно возникнуть», — заявил Беллотт. Признает последствия для тех, у кого есть кредиты в долларах. Заместитель министра признал, что люди с долгами, оформленными в долларах, действительно почувствуют последствия новой валютной схемы. «Это тяжело. Есть те, кто действительно терпит убытки; те, у кого есть кредиты в долларах, действительно почувствуют последствия», — отметил он. Тем не менее он подчеркнул, что эта группа составляет лишь незначительную долю заемщиков финансовой системы. “More than 99.5% of loans are denominated in bolivianos, so there shouldn't be any problems for the vast majority of families and businesses,” he said. Bellott believed that the volatility observed in the first few days following the implementation of the new regime would be temporary and estimated that the foreign exchange market would stabilize in the short term. “It will probably fluctuate a little over the next few days and there will be some instability, but in a week or two it will stabilize completely, and the government, together with the Central Bank, will take control of exchange rate policy,” he stated. Regarding the potential impact of exchange rate liberalization on the price of construction materials—many of which are imported—Bellott maintained that much of those price increases had already been passed on to the market when the parallel dollar reached high levels. As he explained, many retailers adjusted their prices even above the parallel market rate, anticipating a possible devaluation. “All materials have already been repriced, and retailers were aware of this situation.” “In fact, many raised their prices slightly above the parallel exchange rate in anticipation of a devaluation,” he said. In that context, he believed that the adoption of a single official exchange rate could reduce uncertainty and lead to a price correction. “Those prices will likely now be adjusted to reflect reality, and many may even tend to go down,” he said. The deputy minister described the exchange rate liberalization as one of the measures included in the economic stabilization package promoted by the government. However, he noted that the economy’s recovery will also depend on the approval of other structural reforms, including a new Hydrocarbons Law and a new Mining Law, as well as other regulations aimed at encouraging investment and foreign currency inflows. “It’s a good measure and part of the stabilization package, but for economic recovery we need other laws that will strengthen the economy,” he said. Bellott also maintained that the current economic situation is the result of problems that have accumulated over previous administrations and called for avoiding pressure tactics that could disrupt the functioning of the economy. “It is important for the Bolivian people to understand that climbing out of the hole that previous administrations have left us in is a difficult task. As the President has said, we must banish the word ‘blockade’ because we Bolivians cannot continue to harm one another,” he concluded.