Banks scrap around for deposits

A snap survey of the banks’ deposits rates shows that the liquidity crunch has pushed up the cost of funds for the banks as deposits rates have risen, a development that will further squeeze profit margins in the prevailing low lending rates environment.

In the past six months, deposits rates for smaller depositors have slightly gone up from an average of about 3.75 percent to 4.10 percent for six months fixed deposits. For 12-months fixed deposits have gone up   from 4.15 percent to 4.75 while two-year deposits has gone up from 4,5 percent to five percent.