Large local banks have announced reductions for their prime lending interest rates following the Bank of Thailand (BoT)'s policy rate cut, aiming to ease the financial burden for borrowers.

Since the beginning of the year, numerous banks have launched attractive credit packages with low interest rates, some even as low as 0% per year, easing the financial burden for customers seeking additional capital, particularly during the time leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year holiday).

Up to 70% of the tuberculosis (TB) patients are of the working age group, which has affected both households’ economic well-being and the national economy, Health Deputy Minister Tran Van Thuan told a workshop in Hanoi on March 24.

Cambodia has launched a programme to give cash handouts to the country’s poorest households to alleviate the financial burden caused by the coronavirus.

The Thai Cabinet on April 15 approved cutting 50 percent of investment and 25 percent of regular budgets in fiscal 2021 to mobilise funding to ease the financial burden arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thailand’s Kasikornbank (KBank) and Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) cut their prime lending rates by 40 basis points on April 9 after the Bank of Thailand (BoT) lowered the required contribution by banks to the Financial Institutions Development Fund (FIDF).