Although the gross balance of the portfolio during 2024 closed by $ 708 billion and increased by $ 25 billion compared to 2023, registered a real drop of 1.5% and also its deepening indicator It dropped to 42.9% as part of GDP, compared to 43.5% of a year ago.
(Read here: Ecopetrol’s proven gas and oil reserves grew slightly in 2024)
In this way, in December 2024, 21 months were recorded in a row of falling credit activity, although in the midst of those figures there is another that is positive, because after the deterioration that occurred in the quality of the portfolio, At the end of last year it closed in 4.7%, compared to 5% of 2023.
According to the Financial Superintendency, the credit drop was explained by factors such as the real annual negative variation of the consumption modality, which could not be neutralized by the positive variation of the modalities of microcredit, housing and commercial; The correction of the effect of inflation to the extent that the nominal variation rate of the gross portfolio was 3.7%; And, the dynamics of the punishments that in December added $ 1 billion, mainly influenced by consumer and commercial modalities with a participation of 76.6% and 39.3%, respectively.
(See here: ‘We seek to maintain stable production in 40,000 tons’: Cerro Matoso)
The commercial portfolio registered in December a real annual positive variation, after 18 months with negative records.
In intermensual terms, the balance of the commercial portfolio increased $ 2 billion, given the positive contribution of segments such as official or government ($ 3.2 billion) and financial and institutional ($ 889.5 billion).
Credits
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By disaggregating the annual variation by products, positive records are observed in foreign currency with an annual real variation of 17.3%; and official or government 7.9%; while, SMEs, Factoring and Financial and Institutional products recorded Negative data of 8.8%, 7.7%and 6.2%, respectively.
The approval rate of this portfolio reached 90% of the number of applications and $ 31.4 billion were disbursed. The consumption portfolio registered a negative nominal variation of 3.2% and real negative of 8% in December. From this rate, 67.2% is explained by the free investment product, which accumulates an annual real variation of -16.7%.
Holman Rodríguez Martínez
Portfolio journalist
