A Certificate of Deposit or CD is a fixed-income financial tool that is governed by the Reserve Bank of India and is issued in a dematerialized form. It is a type of agreement made between the depositors and the banks, wherein the bank pays an interest on your investment.
Certificate of Deposit is a short-term investment that comes with fixed investment amounts and maturity tenure ranging between 1-3 years. Given below are some of the important features of CDs and the method to buy a certificate of deposit.
Here are some salient features of CDs and how they compare to other financial instruments.
Mentioned below are the important attributes of a Certificate of Deposit:
Certificate of Deposit Meaning |
The Certificate of Deposit is the product that is offered by banks and credit unions that give an interest rate premium in exchange for the customer agreeing to lock in an amount for a predetermined period of time. |
Certificate of Deposit Interest Rates |
Locked rates are the positive attributes of CDs, and they will provide a clear and predictable return to the Deposit over a time period. The bank will not, even later on - change the rate, making it a guaranteed return. |
CD Minimum Amount |
The minimum amount of Deposit begins at Rs. 1,00,000. |
Tenure |
This is the length of the period for the CD; for instance, it could be six months to years. The tenure ends on the date of the maturity; when the CD has matured completely, you will be able to withdraw the funds without a penalty fee. |
Eligibility Criteria |
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Taxes |
Certificates of deposits are completely fully taxable in the hands of investors under the Income Tax Act. |
Opportunity for Loans |
A depositor can get loans against CDs, except for the permitted explicitly by the RBI. The issuer is given to buy back CDs before maturity at the prevailing market price. The investors could opt for accepting or rejecting the CDs purchased back offer as per wants. |
The process of buying and selling CDs is similar to that of buying and selling shares, and the steps are mentioned below:
The advantages of issuing a certificate of deposit are mentioned below:
The table below shows a comparative analysis of the certificate of Deposit and fixed deposit in terms of investment amount, tenure, and returns.
CD vs FD |
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Criteria |
Fixed Deposit |
Certificate of Deposit |
Minimum Investment Amount |
The minimum investment amount for a fixed deposit is Rs. 1000. |
The minimum deposit amount for a CD is Rs. 1 lakh. |
Return on Investment |
It ranges from 3.5% to 8%. |
The interest rate on CDs, if issued by organisations, has higher interest rates as compared to commercial banks. |
Investment Tenure |
It is a long-term investment and offers a maximum maturity period of 10 years. |
This is a short-term investment and offers a maturity period ranging from 1-3 years. |
Collateral |
One can apply for a loan against FD. |
One cannot apply for a loan against a CD. |