Banking in Tunisia
Banking in Tunisia is a service industry comprised of 18 small domestic banks and three publicly controlled banks, which are the largest. The Tunisian banking sector has always been characterized as small and highly concentrated.[1]
History
Tunisia was among the first to introduce financial reforms in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The financial sector of the country was tightly controlled through the mid 1980s. Since then, it has undergone three decades of gradual but insufficient reforms. State-owned commercial banks dominate the banking system and account for more than half of market share, which implies state control of the banking sector and is a negative for economic growth.[1] After the fall of Ben Ali regime, the bank sector owned by his close family has been seized by the central bank.[2]
Tunisian banks have a relatively high non-performing loan (NPL) to total loans ratio. The average NPL to total loan ratio for the period 2005-2008 was 18.3%, slightly lower than Egypt’s 19.7% but significantly higher than that of Jordan (4.8%), Lebanon (11.9%), and Morocco (10.1%).[1]
References
- ^ a b c Daniel Bruno Sanz (March, 2012). "Offshore Services, a New Economic Engine for Tunisia". Huffington Post. Retrieved March 06, 2012.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ "Tunisia seizes bank from ex-leader's family". Reuters. January 20, 2011. Retrieved March 06, 2012.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help)
 | This Tunisia-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |