🇱🇰 Your Savings Earn Interest, But Bank Fees Eat It All

⭕ Savings accounts in Sri Lanka are reaching a point where many customers may effectively earn a negative return.

⭕ You deposit your money with the bank, The bank uses those funds to generate income, but the charges imposed on your account exceeds the interest you receive..

⭕ Customers may have to pay more than Rs. 1,000 annually for digital banking apps, Rs. 25 to Rs. 50 for transfers, debit card fees, account maintenance charges and other service fees.

⭕ On top of this, 10% withholding tax is deducted from the interest earned on deposits. (Goes to gov)

⭕ For customers with balances below Rs. 100,000, particularly those living from paycheque to paycheque, these charges can wipe out most or even all of the interest earned at the dismal rate of just 2% to 3%.

⭕ This is before even considering inflation, which further reduces the real value of both your savings and the interest you receive.

⭕ Sampath Bank the major culprit of the above practice recently increased the annual Sampath Vishwa fee from Rs. 900 to Rs. 1,200, an increase of more than 33%.

⭕ Many fee increases are introduced automatically, without specific approval from customers or a meaningful option to reject them while continuing to use essential banking services.

⭕ Digital banking reduces the bank’s dependence on branches, counters, paperwork and staff time. Customers are effectively performing much of the banking work themselves.

⭕ Charging customers more for using a lower-cost banking channel is difficult to justify, especially when banks already earn from deposits, loans, cards and transaction fees.

⭕ This practice also works against Sri Lanka’s efforts to promote digital payments, financial inclusion and reduced dependence on cash.

⭕ A banking app should be a basic account-access service, not a premium subscription. Banks increasingly appear to be treating digital banking apps as another source of revenue.

⭕ The Government and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka should intervene, improve transparency, require proper notice before fee increases and regulate excessive charges on basic banking services.

Your savings earn interest, but after taxes, inflation and bank charges, there may be little or nothing left for you.

#SriLanka #DigitalBanking #BankCharges