Core Viewpoint - The government's decision to maintain interest rates on small savings schemes will limit banks' ability to further reduce deposit rates, impacting their overall deposit strategies [1][9]. Group 1: Government's Decision on Small Savings Rates - The government has decided to keep interest rates unchanged for various small savings schemes for the January-March 2026 quarter, including the Public Provident Fund (PPF) at 7.1%, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana at 8.2%, and National Savings Certificate (NSC) at 7.7% [3][4]. - This marks the eighth consecutive quarter that these rates have remained unchanged, despite the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cutting the repo rate by 125 basis points since February of the previous year [5]. Group 2: Impact on Banks and Deposit Rates - Banks are facing challenges in reducing deposit rates further due to the unchanged small savings rates, which could make deposits less attractive compared to alternative investment options [8][10]. - The weighted average lending rate (WALR) on fresh rupee loans decreased by 69 basis points from February to October 2025, while the weighted average domestic term deposit rate (WADTDR) on fresh deposits declined by 105 basis points during the same period [5][6]. - Deposit growth has slowed to 9.35% year-on-year, while credit growth has risen to nearly 12%, widening the credit-deposit growth gap by over 260 basis points [11]. Group 3: Market Competition and Strategy - Banks are experiencing increased competition from capital markets, particularly mutual funds and equity markets, which are attracting household savings away from traditional deposits [14]. - Each bank will determine its deposit rate strategy based on its credit growth ambitions and net interest margin (NIM) outlook, influenced by the liquidity conditions and interest rates of competing investment products [10][14]. - The certificate of deposit (CD) market has seen significant activity, with banks raising over ₹50,000 crore through this route in recent weeks, indicating a shift in funding strategies [15].