It is free, the tax exemption, the liquid and its rate of 2.7% is much higher than that of the brochure A: why then the popular savings book seduces less and less French

A savings product for the most modest that would benefit from being more prominent in the banks. The number of popular savings brochures (LEP) has been decreasing since the beginning of the year, said Thursday, July 17, the Banque of France, which requires banks to make more to provide their eligible customers.

After increasing in a million last year, the number of LEP holders decreased between January and April to establish itself below 12 million, to 11.8 million precisely.

“This decrease does not increase at all from a reversal of trend,” he tempered the governor of the bank of France, which overflows in 12.2 million LEP at the end of the year, however, below the target had been put at 12.5 million brochures in the summer of 2024.

31 million eligible homes

This volume remains far from the more than 19 million homes identified by the banque of France as potential clients, that is, they would have the savings capabilities necessary to place their savings in this booklet currently limited to 10,000 euros. But open LEP number is even further from the 31 million eligible people if we simply refer to income criteria, according to the same source. As a reminder, to open a LEP, it is not necessary, for example, not exceed 22,823 euros in net tax revenues in 2023 for a single person, more as the number of family quotients shares increases.

Of themselves, bank establishments only participate timidly in the development of the LEP: the product is far from being at the top of the gondola of agencies or websites of bank establishments. After a peak of 82.8 billion euros reached at the end of March, the pending LEP has decreased for two consecutive months, reaching 79.6 billion euros, according to the latest data published by Caisse des Dépôts (CDC).

An interest rate in free fall for 18 months

However, free tax exemption and liquid, LEP is today the best paid savings product, even if its rate has done so, since the brochure has divided more than two in the space of 18 months, going from 6% at the beginning of last year to 2.7% from August 1, 2025, in parallel with the withdrawal of inflation. The brochure will fall to 1.7% at the beginning of next month.

The Ministry of Economy undertakes to send an information email, through the Tax Department, to eligible persons, an initiative welcome by the banque of France.