The Central Directorate of National Savings (CDNS) has again revised the rates of return on majority of its National Savings Schemes by up to 72 basis points (bps). This is the third such downward revision in the last two months.

Rates of Special Savings Certificates (SSC) were decreased by 40bps to 15.6% from 16%. The Defence Saving Certificates (DSC) will now offer a return of 13.67% return, as compared to a 14.22% return, a decline of 55bps.

Rates on Short Term Savings Certificates (STSC) were reduced by 58bps, and will now yield 19.76% as compared to the earlier 20.34%.

In addition, the return on Regular Income Certificates (RIC) also reduced to 14.64% from 15%, a decrease of 36bps.

National Saving Schemes: CDNS reduces rates of return on some products

Meanwhile, the rates of Bahbood Savings Certificates (BSC), Pensioners Benefit Account (PBA), and Shuhada Family Welfare Account were reduced by 72bps, and will now offer a return of 15.36%, as compared to the previous 16.08%.

On the other hand, rates of Saving Account, Sarwa Islamic Term Account and Sarwa Islamic Saving Account remained unchanged.

The change in the rate of return will take effect from February 21 onward.

The SBP kept the key interest rate unchanged at 22% in its last MPC, but there is growing consensus that rates will start to reduce.

Pakistan’s headline inflation clocked in at 28.3% on a year-on-year basis in January, marginally lower than the reading in December when it stood at 29.7%, showed data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). On a month-on-month basis, the reading was up 1.8%.