Albania: Interest Rate Cap on Small Consumer Loans Reduced
According to Monitor.al, the Bank of Albania has reduced the interest rate ceiling on small consumer loans (up to 200,000 ALL) to 62.2%, down from 70.9% the previous year.
This “effective rate” includes not just interest, but all fees and commissions — designed to prevent predatory lending. ➤ Source
India: Default Rate on Small Loans is the Lowest Among All Loan Types
A study published by The Economic Times shows that for small-ticket loans in India (₹1–5 lakh), the default rate (technically, the delinquency rate) is just 0.52%, one of the lowest across loan categories. ➤ Source
This implies that small loans have a lower tendency to default—possibly due to tighter credit screening or more frequent repayments.
Iran: Lower Interbank Rate and Loan Scandals
In Iran, the interbank interest rate dropped recently to around 23.96%.
Separately, there was a major scandal involving very low-interest loans (as low as 4%) given to senior officials and stock exchange managers. This led to the resignation of the head of Iran’s Securities and Exchange Organization. ➤ Source
However, this is more of a political/ethics issue than a policy affecting small loans for the public.