Banking

The commercial banking sector is one of the many sources of stability in T&T’s economy. With eight long established banks, backed by major international groups or the government, T&T’s banking system is well capitalised, well regulated and conservative in its lending practices. According to the Central Bank of T&T, at the end of October 2014 the eight banks had total assets within the country of $20.2bn, with deposits and lending (except for mortgage loans) growing at single-digit rates. Though the system is awash with liquidity, efforts by the central bank to encourage a reduction in excess reserves have already had an impact in the first half of 2015. At the same time, downward pressure on net interest margins will continue to be an issue, with banks likely to remain focused on boosting fee income and/or controlling costs to maintain growth.