Pakistan increases National Savings Scheme profit rates

The Central Directorate of National Savings (CDNS) has increased profit rates for several savings schemes. This change comes after the State Bank of Pakistan decided to keep the policy rate steady at 12%. The return on Short Term Saving Certificates (STSC) has gone up to 10.96%, a rise of 15 basis points. Defence Saving Certificates (DSC) also saw a slight increase to 12.15%. Other accounts like the Pensioner Benefit Account, Behbood Savings Certificate, and Shuhada Family Welfare Account received adjustments as well, now offering returns of 13.68%. Islamic accounts have benefited from significant hikes too. The Sarwa Islamic Term Account (SITA) and Sarwa Islamic Saving Account (SISA) now provide returns of 10.44%. However, the Savings Account rate has decreased from 11.5% to 10.5%. CDNS is the largest financial institution in Pakistan, managing over Rs3.4 trillion in assets and serving more than four million customers through 376 branches. These changes in profit rates aim to support the government's efforts for economic stability, coinciding with low inflation rates. In February 2025, inflation measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) dropped to 1.5%, the lowest in nearly a decade.