Banking and Financial Council Reminds Banks of Interest Rate Reduction Obligations
The Banking and Financial Council (CBF) issued a statement on April 17, reminding banks of their commitment to fully apply the provisions of Article 412 ter of Law No. 2024-41 of August 2, 2024. This clarification comes in response to numerous criticisms relayed on social media, targeting the slow processing of interest rate reduction requests. The CBF emphasized that banks must respect the current regulations and the State's guidelines for financing the economy.
Article 412 ter provides for a 50% reduction in fixed interest rates, a measure intended to alleviate the burden on borrowers. According to the CBF, the satisfaction rate of requests has increased from 93% on March 25, 2025, to 95.2% on April 14, 2025. Banks are therefore called upon to mobilize all necessary technical and human resources to examine files and assess the eligibility of applicants.
To reinforce this mechanism, the CBF has set up several complaint channels for citizens: a hotline (80 100 280), an email address (reclamation@cbf.org.tn), and an online citizen space (https://reclamation.cbf.org.tn). The CBF's role is to intervene as a representative of banks to facilitate the resolution of complaints and ensure the effective application of regulatory texts.
Furthermore, the Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT) and the CBF, which centralize complaints handled by banks, are working on introducing new financial products. The goal is to facilitate access to housing finance despite the decline in purchasing power. To this end, housing loans with repayment periods of up to 25 years are planned, within the framework of savings plans conforming to current legislation.
Finally, digital payment instruments, such as deferred payment solutions available since October 2024, have been launched to respond to the evolving needs of customers.
