In an interview with Eghtesad Online, Hussein Selahevarzi, an economic activist, discussed the challenges within Iran's banking system, particularly focusing on the issue of banks operating as holding companies. According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, efforts are underway to eliminate this practice. The Minister of Economic Affairs has announced that "bank holding companies will be phased out within the next two years," but achieving this goal requires policies that prevent banks from continuing or intensifying this approach. Some economic analysts believe that in order to reduce the incentives for banks to engage in holding company activities, the government should bring interest rates closer to inflation rates. This is especially important given the difficulties banks have faced under sanctions and the accumulation of non-performing loans from businesses that took significant risks but failed to repay their debts on time.

EghtesadOnline: The Central Bank of Iran has again called on banks to observe regulations governing interest on deposits.

EghtesadOnline: Private banks and credit institutions are against increasing interest rates, the secretary of Iran's Private Banks and Credit Institutions Council said.

EghtesadOnline: The Economy Minister Farahad Dejpasand in a letter to banks and credit institutions asked them to comply with interest rates announced by the Money and Credit Council, the top banking and monetary policymaker.

EghtesadOnline: The Central Bank of Iran says decline in inflation expectation and relative stability in financial markets obviates the need for higher interest rates.

EghtesadOnline: The Central Bank of Iran has no plan to increase deposit rates, the governor, Abdolnasser Hemmati, said in response to recent rumors about the likelihood of higher interest rates to help prop up the struggling economy, tame inflation and curb forex rates.

EghtesadOnline: Bank Maskan, the state-run agent bank of the housing sector, is considering the possibility of increasing the ceiling of home loans while reducing their interest rates to boost the people's purchasing power that has taken a serious hit due to recent hefty price hikes.

EghtesadOnline: Officials at the Central Bank of Iran have announced the decision to change interbank interest rates in a move that will subsequently impact deposit interest rates, a senior official at the Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture announced.

EghtesadOnline: Interest rates on loans to small-sized enterprises will be cut by 8% as per a memorandum of understanding signed between the Ministry of Industries, Mining, and Trade and the Central Bank of Iran, said Sadeq Najafi, the managing director of Iran Small Industries and Industrial Parks Organization on Tuesday.

EghtesadOnline: The Central Bank of Iran has focused on encouraging people to entrust their foreign currency banknotes to the banking system and according to the regulator’s director of the Department for Foreign Exchange Regulations and Policies, banks are allowed to devise their own interest rates on foreign currency deposits.

EghtesadOnline: The U.S. banking sector's dramatic rally post Election Day is likely just a taste of bigger gains to come, as investors expect banks to reap huge benefits from rising interest rates and lighter regulation under a Donald Trump presidency.

EghtesadOnline: Just as mortgage bankers were preparing for the end of a historic boom driven by low interest rates, borrowers have begun knocking at their doors again, Reuters reported.

EghtesadOnline: Interest rates will continue on the downward slope but it is unclear how much further down it will go, the CEO of the Bank of Industry and Mine said Monday.

EghtesadOnline: The Central Bank of Iran has floated the possibility of raising interest rates any decision must be first be approved by the Money and Credit Council MCC) before announcement.

EghtesadOnline: Banks say interest rates must rise to keep pace with the high and rising inflation to make deposits attractive for savers. Interest that banks now offer on deposits is, at best, far below the skyrocketing inflation rate.

EghtesadOnline: New interest rates announced by the Money and Credit Council have failed to convince depositors to park their money in banks, secretary-general of the Iranian Private Banks' Association said.

EghtesadOnline: The Central Bank of Iran officially started open market operations as part of its monetary policy to curb inflation, control interest rates in the interbank market and manage liquidity.

EghtesadOnline: European Central Bank policymaker Robert Holzmann hopes to see the end of negative interest rates by the time his six-year term ends, he told an Austrian tabloid, praising new ECB Chief Christine Lagarde for fostering collegiality among his peers.

EghtesadOnline: Abdolnasser Hemmati says local banks have no plans for now to increase interest rates because of the state of the economy and bank sector challenges.

EghtesadOnline: The Central Bank of Iran on Saturday notified a directive to the banking system, which sets foreign currency deposit interest rates and doubles down on the previous promise of guaranteed returns.