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What are interest rates?

The interest rate is a way of measuring the opportunity cost of money, which is assumed by the lender, either in a credit issued by a financial institution or in the deposits that can be made by economic agents. If it is a deposit, the interest rate determines the payment received by the person or company depositing the money in exchange for making that amount available to others. If it is a credit, the interest rate determines the amount that the debtor must pay to the lender for the use of that money.

How does the Central Bank of Chile calculate the published interest rate statistics?

Interest rate statistics are calculated based on information from the deposit and lending operations of the banks operating in the Chilean market. The calculated rates correspond to weighted averages according to the amounts transacted in such operations. For further details, you can access the calculation methodology at the following link: Methodology