TEHRAN- The Iranian banking system has paid 28.47 quadrillion rials (about $56 billion) of facilities to different economic sectors in the first seven months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-October 22), registering a 23.9 percent rise from the figure in the same period of the previous year, the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) announced.

As reported, of the total facilities, 23.7 quadrillion rials (about $46.64 billion) equivalent to 82 percent, was paid to the business owners (real and legal), and 4.77 quadrillion rials (about $9.38 billion) equivalent to 16.8 percent, to the final consumers (households).

According to CBI data, the share of facilities paid in the form of working capital in the first seven months of the current year was 76.9 percent of the total paid loans.

During the said period, businesses active in the mining and industry sector received over 7.02 quadrillion rials (about $13.8 billion) in the form of working capital loans, accounting for 38.6 percent of the total such facilities.

Over the past three years, CBI has been collaborating with the Industry, Mining, and Trade Ministry to implement a program based on which bank facilities are provided to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and semi-finished projects.

The mentioned facilities are mainly provided for renewing machinery, equipping production units, or completing semi-finished projects.

EF/MA