Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said Bank Negara Malaysia’s easing of eligibility requirements for its RM1 billion Fund for Affordable Homes should lead to at least a 20% increase in home loan approvals for first-time homebuyers.

Lim said that at a joint press conference with Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin on Thursday and added that it will help first-time homebuyers see a 20% reduction in their monthly housing loan repayments amid an extended repayment duration to 40 years from the previous 30 years under the fund.

Meanwhile, Zuraida said she has asked banks to relax some of the requirements to fund housing projects in line with Pakatan Harapan’s promise to deliver one million affordable homes by 2028.