Djibouti bank customers rise 31 pct in nine months

DJIBOUTI (Reuters) - Djibouti banks recorded a 31 percent jump in customer numbers to 53,332 in the first nine months of the year, its central bank governor said.

"The economic and financial performances of Djibouti considerably improved in 2008 and 2009, in spite of inflationary pressures at worldwide level," Djama Mahamoud Haid said.

The banking sector in the small Horn of Africa nation has been growing and established players include Indo-Suez Bank as well as the Industrial and Commercial Bank.

Credit to the private sector grew by more than 27 percent in 2008, up from 23 percent in the previous year, Haid said at a ceremony to launch a new branch of Cooperative and Agricultural Credit (CAC) Bank at the weekend.

The Yemeni bank, which caters to corporate and retail customers, said it has correspondent banks such as Commerzbank, Citi and the Bank of New York.