The Cabinet is considering to facilitate 8 percent mortgage program. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Finance and Bank of Mongolia (BoM) co-established a working group to prepare a draft subsidiary mortgage program with 7 percent interest rate and 25 percent downpayment, which is 5 percent lower than the current subsidized mortgage requirement. Officials perceive that the current 8 percent mortgage program has reached its target market; thus, the Cabinet has prepared a draft program for the first-time accomodation purchasers in the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar with more favorable terms. Sources claim that the program will be financed from the USD 500 million borrowing from the Republic of Korea that settled was during the Prime Minister’s visit to South Korea in January. The soft loan has a maturity date of 30 years and grace period of 10 years with an annual interest rate of 0.2 percent. Presently, around 30 thousand accommodations are ready for sale; however, the housing sales are only about 30 percent. This year, the Government and BoM set a plan to finance around MNT 300 billion to the mortgage program, which will provide around five thousand accommodations. According to Marketinfo, the mortgage program will be effective in decreasing pollution and other associated social problems. This, along with several air pollution protests last winter, will likely galvanize the Cabinet to approve the application of the program in the second quarter of 2018.

Published Date:2018-03-23