Interest rates continue to rise despite reductions and facilities from the Central Bank

At the end of May, the active interest rates (the ones banks charge for the money they lend to people) stood at 15.10%, for an increase of 21 basis points compared to April, while the passive rates (the ones banks pay for people’s deposits) stood at 10.18%, for an increase of 65 basis points compared to April.

This means that banks are receiving a financial intermediation margin (profits) of 4.92%, when compared to the Central Bank’s reference interest rates.

“Compared to the end of 2024, both rates also showed increases of 22 and 67 percentage points respectively, suggesting possible pressure on the liquidity of the banking system,” cites the report; Macroeconomic Situation, Monitoring of Conjuncture, May 2025, from the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development.

It also indicates that in real terms, rates also increased by 20 and 64 basis points compared to the previous month, reflecting the rise in nominal rates, in a context of inflation expectations that remain anchored in the center of the target range established by the monetary authority.

However, the Central Bank initiated a cycle of reducing its monetary policy rates in May 2023, making about 10 reductions, the last one in December 2024.

In total, the Central Bank has reduced 275 percentage points from May 2023 to December 2024, bringing it down from 8.50% to 5.75% currently.