A rally is taking place in the building of the National Bank of Kyrgyzstan. More than 20 people who lost their homes participate in the rally.
One of the rally participants, Zhyldyz Akhmedova, noted that her sister had borrowed $49,000. She repaid $42,300.
«There was a period of lockdown. The sister asked to divide the remaining amount by five years, since she had no job during the pandemic. But the bank sold her collateral — the only house. She and her five children were left without housing. Whom should we turn for help?» she asks.
The protesters believe that the National Bank as a regulator is not doing its job. According to them, it does not control the work of commercial banks at the proper level.
«Commercial banks say their clients that they cannot extend the maturity of loans, as the National Bank also demands money from them. Why does Russia have a law on the protection of the only housing? If I have pledged a large house, but the amount of the loan I have taken is small, then they give me the opportunity to buy another house or pay the difference. We don’t have that. The National Bank assures that they require a re-assessment. But I didn’t see banks carrying it out and paying the citizen the difference. Why do we need this National Bank if it does not work? There has never been a banking reform for 30 years,» Dinara Nazarkulova, Chairperson of the Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Borrowers, says.
The protesters demand a meeting with the Chairman of the National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic Kubanychbek Bokontaev.
