{
  "id": 16014421,
  "title": "Strength in Japanese loan demand expected to leave scope for more BOJ hikes",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/strength-in-japanese-loan-demand-expected-to-leave-scope-for-more-boj",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-22T07:31:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Investing.com",
    "slug": "investing-com",
    "url": "https://www.investing.com/news/economy-news/japan-funding-conditions-still-loose-despite-interest-rate-hikes-survey-shows-4964487"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The latest survey from Japan's central bank indicates that major banks are witnessing increased demand for corporate funds, contrasting with earlier three-month data. This trend suggests that recent interest rate hikes have not deterred lending, reinforcing market expectations of further interest rate increases. The Bank of Japan (BOJ) currently has a policy rate of 1.25%, the highest level in 31 years, and has signaled a shift towards a policy focused on curbing inflation risks. Despite this, financial conditions remain accommodative, with low real borrowing costs and strong bank lending growth. The BOJ will scrutinize the impact of past rate hikes on corporate funding to determine if the current rate is approaching a neutral level. The upcoming policy meeting, scheduled for early November, will likely see another rate hike, possibly up to 1.75%, to keep inflation within target and prevent further weakening of the yen.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}