Loans extended to local businesses rose slightly in the third quarter from a quarter earlier on increased facility investments, central bank data showed Monday.

Corporate loans climbed by 15.7 trillion won ($13.3 billion), or 1.6 percent, in the July-September period to 986.4 trillion won from three months earlier, according to data from the Bank of Korea (BOK).


Year-on-year, the third quarter results marked a 5.9 percent gain.

By purposes, loans extended for companies' operating expenses were up 1.1 percent in the third quarter to 603.2 trillion won from a quarter earlier, and up 1.7 percent from a year earlier, the bank said.

Loans for facility investments also rose 2.4 percent in the September quarter to 383.2 trillion won from a quarter earlier, and up 13.1 percent from a year earlier, it said.

By sectors, loans to services companies jumped 8.9 percent year-on-year to 556.4 trillion won at the end of September. Loans to manufacturers gained 2.6 percent on-year to 333.6 trillion won at end-September. But borrowings by construction firms fell 2.8 percent on-year to 39.2 trillion won, the data showed. (Yonhap)