2025 may ring in small savings rate cuts
The HinduInvestors in small savings schemes should brace themselves for a year of interest rate cuts, and the first reduction in returns on these schemes may come as early as this week when the government resets rates for the January to March quarter. Although the PPF rate has remained unchanged since then, the Centre began hiking rates on other small savings instruments from October 2022. “Since Q3 of 2022-23, interest rates on various small savings instruments have been cumulatively increased in the range of 70-250 basis points by the Government of India,” the Reserve Bank of India had noted in its October bulletin. “However, amid the expectations of a policy rate cut in Q4 of 2024-2025 and Q1 of 2025-2026, we believe that the interest rates on small savings schemes are likely to be pared from the April-June 2025 quarter onwards, which will also aid in the transmission of monetary policy,” Ms. Nayar concluded.