Post
Topic
Board Economics
Re: Lock your bank balance
by
tsaroz
on 07/04/2024, 16:34:39 UTC
In my country, until the mid-2000s, the Postal institution enabled its savers to partially or completely freeze their balances for a specific period of time, provided that the freeze on the amount would not be lifted regardless of whatever reasons, even in if the person’s death. This product was not available in banks as I recall, but since the 2000s this product has been completely abandoned. When I think about the concept, I find it very useful and it can serve the financial institution and the saver as well, especially those who want to secure their savings so that they never think about using it. I think that there are many reasons that might encourage a person to do this according to his assessment of his needs in the medium and long term. The financial institution will also benefit from the liquidity that it will accumulate from the frozen balances, in addition to the possibility to impose fees for the service.

I know that it is possible to secure a deposit in the bank with any type of asset, but with the possibility of permanent disposal of it, meaning that its owner cannot ask the bank to lock it.
What I would like to ask is whether this product exists in the banking system of your country and why, in your opinion, are there central banks that do not allow it? Also, is this possible on online virtual banks?

My personal expectation is that this will be possible with some small local banks or state postal institutions. I also expect that this is not allowed in other laws because I have not heard of it much.

If I'm not mistaken, you are talking about fixed deposits where you get more interest than saving for locking your money for a fixed frame of time. You can't withdraw that money before the maturation time, in case you do, there's a penalty. Some don't let you withdraw anyway before maturity but allow loan keeping the FD as collateral.
Other similar products are bonds and debentures, some even issued by the central bank. Depending on the type, they are generally longer and has similar interest rate as FD, some even can be traded as stocks on the market.
If you are in for a very long time and don't need liquid cash, you could just do SIP or buy stocks of blue chip companies or curated index and enjoy a better ROI.