Your MoneyStocktake

Irish banks the worst in Europe for savers

Domestic banks have passed on just 7% of rate rises to savers, compared with 43% in the UK

Giorgia Meloni’s Italian administration quickly backtracked in part on plans for a windfall levy on bank profits but Italian banks are not the worst offenders. Photograph: Leigh Vogel/The New York Times
Giorgia Meloni’s Italian administration quickly backtracked in part on plans for a windfall levy on bank profits but Italian banks are not the worst offenders. Photograph: Leigh Vogel/The New York Times
Proinsias O'Mahony
Tue Aug 15 2023 - 05:15

Italian bank shares briefly tanked last week after the government’s windfall levy on the sector, prompting Giorgia Meloni’s administration to quickly backtrack on the measure. Still, Italy’s government is not the only one frustrated by banks not passing on rate increases to savers, with Spain, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Lithuania making similar moves over the last year.

Unfortunately for domestic savers, Irish banks are the worst in Europe in this regard, having passed on just 7 per cent of rate increases to savers. This compares to 43 per cent in the UK and 35 per cent in France.

[ Banks need to pass on rate hikes to savers as well as borrowers ]

Stocks present one alternative to near-zero rates. Alternatively, frustrated depositors may be tempted to log on to Raisin.ie, a pan-European banking platform that allows savers to earn up to 4 per cent annually.

Proinsias O'Mahony

Proinsias O'Mahony

Proinsias O’Mahony, a contributor to The Irish Times, writes the weekly Stocktake column