Banks reduce interest rates for Mangsir

KATHMANDU: Commercial banks have reduced deposit interest rates for Nepali month of Mangsir (mid-November to mid-December) this year.

The maximum average interest rate offered for personal term deposits has decreased for the second consecutive month.

In last month, the average interest rate for personal term deposits was 6.18%.

For Mangsir, this has been reduced to 5.96%, marking a decline of 0.22 percentage points.

This follows a reduction of 0.21 percentage points in Nepali month of Kartik compared to Asoj.

According to public reports, the fully government-owned Nepal Bank Limited (NBL) has increased its maximum interest rate for personal term deposits for Mangsir.

Meanwhile, eight banks have maintained their interest rates, including Nepal SBI, Sanima, Investment Mega, Siddhartha, Prabhu, Himalayan, and Everest banks.

On the other hand, 11 banks have lowered their interest rates. These include Krishi Bikas Bank (Agricultural Development Bank), Laxmi Bank, Sunrise Bank, Global IME Bank, Kumari Bank, Prime Bank, Citizens Bank, Nabil Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Machhapuchhre Bank, and NMB.

NIC Asia Bank, for example, will offer a maximum interest rate of 6.79% for personal term deposits, down from 7% in Kartik.

It is common for banks to offer higher interest rates on long-term deposits and lower rates on short-term deposits.

As deposit interest rates decrease, the base rate also tends to drop, potentially leading to lower loan interest rates.

In accordance with national banking regulations, the difference between the highest rate for individual term deposits and the minimum savings interest rate should not exceed 5%.

Additionally, institutional term deposits must offer at least 1 percentage point less than individual term deposits, while personal remittance term deposits can offer 1 percentage point higher than the standard rate.

The main reason for the reduction in deposit rates is that banks currently have a sufficient supply of investable funds, but loan disbursement has not increased in proportion. As a result, banks are adjusting their deposit interest rates downward.