B Mirror Report : The government has taken steps to reduce the profit rates of savings certificates once again, just six months after the previous adjustment. A proposal for the new rates, effective from January 1 for the next six months, has been prepared by the Finance Division of the Ministry of Finance and sent for approval to Finance Advisor Salehuddin Ahmed.

If approved, the proposal will be forwarded to the Internal Resources Division (IRD) of the Finance Ministry, which will then issue a circular on the new rates. Currently, the maximum profit rate is 11.98% and the minimum is 9.72%. The new proposal suggests an average reduction of 0.05%, with lower investment amounts retaining rates close to current levels, while larger investments will see slightly lower rates. Investments of BDT 750,000 or less will maintain higher rates, whereas larger amounts will have reduced rates.

The regular review of savings certificate rates was instituted as part of government revenue and debt management. The last adjustment was made on June 30, with the next review scheduled six months later, ending December 31.

Among the savings certificates under the National Savings Directorate, the Family Savings Certificate is the most popular. Currently, it offers a 11.93% profit rate for investments under BDT 750,000 and 11.80% for higher amounts for a five-year term. Previously, before July 1, the rate exceeded 12%. Other schemes, such as the Pensioner Savings Certificate, five-year Bangladesh Savings Certificate, and three-month interval profit-based certificates, will also see slight adjustments depending on investment size. However, rates for Wage Earner Development Bonds, US Dollar Premium Bonds, US Dollar Investment Bonds, and the general account of the Postal Savings Bank remain unchanged.

According to the National Savings Directorate, in the first four months of the 2025-26 fiscal year (July–October), the government borrowed a net BDT 2,369 crore through savings certificates. In the previous fiscal year, the net borrowing stood at around BDT 6,000 crore. As of the end of October, total government debt through savings certificates reached BDT 3.41 trillion.