SMEs pay down debt but interest rates remain high

Irish SMEs still face higher-than-average interest rates, despite slight decreases over the final quarter of 2015.

SME interest rates fell in the final months of the year, as new drawdowns by non-financial firms totalled €3.4bn for 2015.

The Central Bank noted, however, that interest rates faced by some sectors remained higher than average, despite a 0.58% decline over the year.