Singapore's March bank loans rose 14.4 per cent from a year ago, slower than February's gain of 15 per cent, the Monetary Authority of Singapore said.

Bank loans advanced to S$129.4 billion (about HK$696.88 billion) in March, from $113.2 billion a year ago.

Loans to the building and construction industry rose 19 per cent to $42.9 billion from February's gain of 19.9 per cent.