Consumers International announced the theme for this year’s World Consumer Rights Day as Fair Digital Finance, and calls for access to safe and fair financial service for all consumers around the world. The consumer organization has defined fair digital finance as products and services that are inclusive, safe, data protected and private. This means that all consumers, including the most vulnerable, must be provided access to manage their finances, and that they must be protected from scams, fraud, and phishing, and must have their data safeguarded.
Approved residential mortgage loans surge 40%
In January 2022, new residential mortgage loans (RMLs) approved by Macau banks advanced by 40.4% month-to-month to MOP3.50 billion. Of which, new RMLs to residents, representing 99.3% of the total, grew by 41.5% to MOP3.48 billion, according to data from the Monetary Authority of Macao. On the other hand, the non-resident component fell by 34.6% to MOP24.5 million. New commercial real estate loans (CRELs), meanwhile, dropped by 70.6% month-to-month to MOP3.23 billion. The monthly average of new CRELs approved between November 2021 and January 2022 was MOP9.0 billion, up by 5.0% as compared with the previous period (October to December 2021).
