Deposits

Bank deposits are the most common form of financial investment. They are measured using banks' financial statements and cover both deposits (with an agreed maturity of up to two years) included in the monetary aggregates and savings accounts or investments. 

Investments in mutual fund shares/units have different characteristics: money market fund shares/units are close substitutes for bank deposits, while the other categories of mutual funds represent more risky investments and are not included in the monetary aggregates. 

In France, the interest rates on a number of savings instruments ("A" passbook, sustainable development passbook, popular savings passbook, housing savings account, housing savings plan, etc.) are set by regulations. For the rest, they are determined by banks according to market conditions. 

Every month, the Banque de France is responsible for compiling regional statistics on the bank deposits of the non-financial sector, on the basis of an agreement signed with around 300 banks within the French Banking Federation.