Lukashenka to issue decree to guarantee safety of bank deposits

Alyaksandr Lukashenka on October 17 tasked Pyotr Prakapovich, head of the National Bank of Belarus, with drawing up a draft presidential decree within a short period of time, which would provide for the government’s guarantee of individuals’ bank deposits, said the press office of the Belarusian leader.


Lukashenka reportedly suggested that the decree should guarantee all money deposits of any size and provide for the acceptance of deposits of any size from both Belarusian citizens and foreigners, “with strict secrecy observed with regard to deposit accounts in accordance with Belarusian regulations.”

According to Prakapovich, such a decree should be issued because, among other reasons, “very many foreign citizens” have recently started asking to deposit their savings in banks in Belarus for fear that the global financial crisis will affect them.

Lukashenka also directed the National Bank to urgently devise measures that would allow Belarus to rank among the world’s top 30 countries with the most favorable lending conditions. The National Bank is to submit such measures for consideration next week.

Prakapovich told the head of state that individuals’ bank deposits increased by more than 2,800 billion rubels year-on-year in the first eight months of 2008. “The deposits did not decline but rose in September and October,” the press office said.

This is very important considering negative occurrences with individuals’ deposits in neighboring countries and the world in general, Prakapovich was quoted as saying.
BelaPAN