Abstract

A Certificate of Deposit (CD) is a short-term money market instrument used by banks to source funds from the public. Unlike a Bank term deposit, it is a negotiable instrument transferable by endorsement and delivery. CDs are normally issued by banks to tide over short-term liquidity problems. Banks make these CDs more attractive by offering a comparatively higher rate of interest over the short-term deposit rates. Yet these deposits do not have the momentum and market share they ought to have. This may be on account of lack of customer awareness of this type of product and the lack of an effective secondary market for CDs. This case presents the salient features of CDs issued in India and abroad, the legal framework related to the issue, the market position, RBI guidelines on the issue of the CDs in India, etc. It clearly brings out the basic differences between CDs and Bank term deposits and gives the reader a comprehensive idea of the instrument.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand CDs as an instrument of the money market
• Understand the importance of this instrument in various Financial Institutions
• Analyze the Yield to Maturity (YTM) to an investor
• Understand the guidelines issued by the regulator
• Understand the perspective of this instrument in Indian and global market

Keywords

Money market instruments, Certificates of deposits, Term deposits, Yield to Maturity, Regulations, Banking, Treasury management, Liquidity management, Negotiable instrument, India, Global