Bank Lending Rate

The Bank Lending Rate is the average interest rate that banks charge on credit extended to their customers, a core indicator for tracking the cost of borrowing across Latin America and the Caribbean. Published by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) as part of the Latin Macro Watch database, it lets analysts, policymakers, and researchers compare the price of bank credit consistently across the region and over time.

Coverage

The series spans 26 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean at annual, monthly, and quarterly frequency, covering the period 1990–2026. Values are available as a nominal rate (level, average of period, and end of period) and in real terms (level, average of period, and end of period), so users can study both headline and inflation-adjusted lending costs.

Sources

Data are compiled from national central banks and statistical agencies, including the Banco Central do Brasil, Banco de Mexico (Banxico), Banco Central de Chile, Banco de la República de Colombia, the Central Bank of The Bahamas, and the Bank of Jamaica, among others. Definitions follow each source's market-determined lending measures; for example, Brazil uses an average rate on nonearmarked new credit operations converted to an annual basis, which more accurately reflects market-driven credit pricing.

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Format	CSV
Language	en
Country	Argentina Bahamas Trinidad & Tobago Belize Costa Rica Dominican Republic Ecuador Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia El Salvador Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Guatemala Guyana Haiti Honduras Panama Uruguay Venezuela Barbados Paraguay Peru Suriname
Data notes	What does the Bank Lending Rate measure? It measures the average interest rate that banks charge on credit extended to their customers. It is a standard gauge of the cost of borrowing and of credit conditions in an economy. How many countries and which frequencies and period does it cover? The series covers 26 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean. It is offered at annual, monthly, and quarterly frequency and spans the period 1990–2026. What units are available for this indicator? Values are available as a nominal rate and in real terms. Each is provided as a level, as an average of period, and as an end of period value, so you can choose nominal or inflation-adjusted lending costs. Where does the Bank Lending Rate data come from? Data are compiled from national central banks and statistical agencies, including the Banco Central do Brasil, Banco de Mexico (Banxico), Banco Central de Chile, Banco de la República de Colombia, the Central Bank of The Bahamas, and the Bank of Jamaica, among others. How is the rate defined across sources? Each source follows its own market-determined lending measure. For Brazil, the series uses the average interest rate on nonearmarked new credit operations, converted to a nominal annual rate, because it better reflects market-driven credit pricing. What is this indicator typically used for? It is used to monitor the cost of credit and financial conditions, compare borrowing costs across Latin American and Caribbean economies, assess monetary policy transmission, and support macroeconomic and financial-sector research. How do I cite this indicator? Cite it as: Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Latin Macro Watch — "Bank Lending Rate". data.iadb.org/dataset/latin-macro-watch-dataset.