Keep at 3%, increase to 3.5 or even 4%? The new Livret A rate will be announced soon

The Governor of the Banque de France and the Minister of the Economy are expected to disclose the new Livret A remuneration rate on Thursday, currently at 3%, which will take effect on August 1. Will this investment, very popular among the French, remain at 3% or increase to 3.5%, or even 4%?

If we stick to the calculation formula provided, which takes into account, on the one hand, the rise in prices and, on the other hand, the interbank rates of recent months -at which banks change money in the short term-, the rate should be between 4% and 4.1%, according to the experts.

But the authorities have the possibility of repealing this formula in case of circumstances that are considered exceptional. This is what happened in February 2022 when the Banque de France proposed rounding up to 1%, instead of 0.8%, then in February 2023, but this time the other way around, when the institution had proposed 3% instead of 3.3%.

Caisse des dépôts in favor of maintaining the 3%

Various actors, such as the Caisse des dépôts et consignations (CDC), which manages 60% of the amounts deposited by the approximately 55 million French holders of a Livret A, and the Social Union for Housing have recently again called for hold at 3%

“We must preserve the interests of savers on the one hand, of course, and on the other an ultra-sensitive sector for the French, which is the housing sector, because the Livret A is used to finance social housing in particular and more widely.” , mortgages”, recalled the governor of the Banque de France, François Villeroy de Galhau, in franceinfo on Tuesday.

A 3.5% commitment

Given the “good news” for savers that the drop in inflation means – from 6% at the beginning of the year to 4.5% in the provisional estimate for June – “I think it is prudent to be a bit cautious in the rate Livret A also thinking about good housing financing,’ he added, pointing out that ‘there is always a margin of appreciation’.

In this context, “the authorities could opt for a compromise solution with an increase in the rate of the Livret A and the LDDS to 3.5%,” estimates Éric Dor, director of Economic Studies at the IESEG School of Management. A prediction shared by Philippe Crevel, director of the Cercle de l’épargne.