slr

What is a Statutory Liquidity Ratio? (SLR)

 Statutory Liquidity Ratio or SLR is a minimum percentage of deposits that a commercial bank has to maintain in the form of liquid cash, gold or other securities. It is basically the reserve requirement that banks are expected to keep before offering credit to customers. These are not reserved with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), but with banks themselves. The SLR is fixed by the RBI. CRR (Cash Reserve Ratio) and SLR have been the traditional tools of the central bank's monetary policy to control credit growth, flow of liquidity and inflation in the economy.  The SLR was prescribed by Section 24 (2A) of Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

If you are one of the many people who often ask the question, “what is statutory liquidity ratio?”, then you’ve come to the right place. Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) is the mandatory reserve requirement that commercial banks in India are required to maintain in the form of cash, gold, and government-approved securities before providing credit or loans to customers. SLR is determined by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to control the expansion of bank loans.

The Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) and SLR have been the traditional tools of the central bank’s monetary policy to control credit growth, the flow of liquidity, and inflation in the economy. Prescribed by Section 24 (2A) of the Banking Regulation Act of 1949, the SLR is the minimum percentage of the deposit that banks must maintain in liquid form before they can provide customers with credit.

In this article, you’ll learn about the SLR formula, what SLR is, how to calculate SLR, the impact of SLR on the economy, and many more aspects of SLR that you need to understand to make the best financial decisions.  

Liquidity how to calculate SLR

SLR is calculated by a percentage of the total demand and time liabilities of banks. Time liabilities refer to liabilities which commercial banks are liable to pay to the customers after a certain period mutually agreed upon. Demand liabilities are deposits of the customers which are payable on demand at any time.

An example of time liability is a six-month fixed deposit which is not payable on demand but only after six months. An example of demand liability is a deposit maintained in a savings account or current account that is payable on demand through a withdrawal form such as a cheque at any time.

The Formula of SLR Calculation

Here, below, is the formula to use in calculating SLR. It may seem too simplistic, but it’s actually effective and that’s why you should learn it.

SLR = % of Net Demand & Time Liabilities (NDTL

How Does SLR Work?

Banks must have a particular portion of their Net Demand and Time Liabilities (NDTL) in the form of cash, gold, or other liquid assets by the end of the day. The ratio of these liquid assets to the demand and ratio of time liabilities is called the Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR). Note that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has the authority to increase this ratio by up to 40%.

Also, a boost in the ratio constricts the ability of the bank to inoculate money into the economy. RBI is also liable for regulating the flow of money and the stability of prices to run the Indian economy. SLB is one of its several monetary policies for the same. SLR (among other tools) is instrumental in securing the solvency of the banks and cash flow in the economy 

How SLR Impacts the Economy

The government uses the SLR to regulate inflation and liquidity. Increasing the SLR will control inflation in the economy while decreasing it will cause growth in the economy. Although the SLR is a monetary policy instrument of the RBI, the government needs to make its debt management program successful.

SLR has helped the government to sell its securities or debt instruments to banks. Most of the banks will be keeping their SLR in the form of government securities as it will earn them an interest income