High Lending Rates in Indonesia: Inflation Rates and Bank Inefficiencies

Inefficient banking systems will affect the Indonesian economy resulting in a high lending rate structure which impacts the cost of capital in real sectors. This study aims to determine if the high lending rates in Indonesia are caused by the high inflation rate and bank inefficiencies. Using monthly panel data analysis from four categories of commercial banking in Indonesia for the period January 2009-December 2017, the results of the study show that operating expenses operating income (OEOI) and net interest margin (NIM) factors, as a measure of efficiency, have a positive impact on loan interest rates for working capital loans, investment loans and consumer loans. Furthermore, inflation rate has a positive effect on loan interest rates for working capital and investment loans only. However, this contrasts with consumer credit where the inflation rate has a negative effect on consumer credit rates. This might be attributed to the fact that interest rates for consumer credit consider default risk factors and high demand rather than inflation factors.