The public debt The ratio of debt to GDP has been at high levels for over thirty years now. Notwithstanding the reduction that began in the mid-1990s, at the outbreak of the crisis it was still close to 100 per cent. Since 2008 it has risen rapidly, to the point of exceeding 130 per cent (Figure 5).
To this end, the Central Bank will soon introduce a voluntary Banking and Financial Institutions Code for financial institutions in the country. I hope our banks and other financial institutions will sign up to this code because it is very important that our customers/consumers are protected and well informed.