Several major lenders are to raise interest rates for depositors today, after the central bank increased its benchmark rediscount rate from 1.375 percent to 1.5 percent on Thursday.
After major lenders raise their time deposit rates by 12.5 basis points, depositors who own NT$1 million (US$33,647) in time deposit accounts are to receive an additional NT$3,750 in interest annually.
State-owned Bank of Taiwan (臺灣銀行), the nation’s biggest lender, is to increase its floating rate for one-year time savings deposits by 0.125 percentage points to 1.215 percent to fully reflect the central bank’s rate adjustments.
Photo: CNA
As a result, depositors who have NT$1 million in one-year time savings accounts with the bank are to receive NT$12,150 in interest annually, it said.
The bank is also to raise its two-year time savings deposit floating rate by 0.125 percentage points to 1.25 percent, while its three-year time savings deposit floating rate is to rise 13 basis points, higher than the central bank’s hike, to 1.285 percent, it said.
State-run Land Bank of Taiwan (土地銀行) is to raise the floating and fixed rates for all of its time savings deposit accounts by 0.125 percentage points, with the floating rate for the one-year time savings deposit account reaching 1.215 percent.
Government investment lender First Commercial Bank (第一銀行) is to raise its one-year, two-year and three-year savings deposit floating rates by 0.125 percentage points to 1.215 percent, 1.395 percent and 1.395 percent respectively, effective today.
It is also to raise the fixed rates by no less than 0.145 percentage points to 1.235 percent, 1.26 percent and 1.27 percent for its one-year, two-year and three-year time savings deposits accounts respectively.
State-run Taiwan Cooperative Bank (合庫銀行) is to increase its floating rates for one-year to three-year time savings deposits and the fixed rates for its one-year to three-year time savings deposits by 0.125 percentage points.
While deposit rates are to rise in line with the central bank’s rate hikes, market observers said the banking sector would raise mortgage rates by more than 12.5 basis points soon to have a higher interest spread, which is expected to improve banks’ profitability.
Semiconductor business between Taiwan and the US is a “win-win” model for both sides given the high level of complementarity, the government said yesterday responding to tariff threats from US President Donald Trump. Home to the world’s largest contract chipmaker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), Taiwan is a key link in the global technology supply chain for companies such as Apple Inc and Nvidia Corp. Trump said on Monday he plans to impose tariffs on imported chips, pharmaceuticals and steel in an effort to get the producers to make them in the US. “Taiwan and the US semiconductor and other technology industries
SMALL AND EFFICIENT: The Chinese AI app’s initial success has spurred worries in the US that its tech giants’ massive AI spending needs re-evaluation, a market strategist said Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) start-up DeepSeek’s (深度求索) eponymous AI assistant rocketed to the top of Apple Inc’s iPhone download charts, stirring doubts in Silicon Valley about the strength of the US’ technological dominance. The app’s underlying AI model is widely seen as competitive with OpenAI and Meta Platforms Inc’s latest. Its claim that it cost much less to train and develop triggered share moves across Asia’s supply chain. Chinese tech firms linked to DeepSeek, such as Iflytek Co (科大訊飛), surged yesterday, while chipmaking tool makers like Advantest Corp slumped on the potential threat to demand for Nvidia Corp’s AI accelerators. US stock
The US Federal Reserve is expected to announce a pause in rate cuts on Wednesday, as policymakers look to continue tackling inflation under close and vocal scrutiny from US President Donald Trump. The Fed cut its key lending rate by a full percentage point in the final four months of last year and indicated it would move more cautiously going forward amid an uptick in inflation away from its long-term target of 2 percent. “I think they will do nothing, and I think they should do nothing,” Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis former president Jim Bullard said. “I think the
SUBSIDIES: The nominee for commerce secretary indicated the Trump administration wants to put its stamp on the plan, but not unravel it entirely US President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the agency in charge of a US$52 billion semiconductor subsidy program declined to give it unqualified support, raising questions about the disbursement of funds to companies like Intel Corp and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電). “I can’t say that I can honor something I haven’t read,” Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary, said of the binding CHIPS and Science Act awards in a confirmation hearing on Wednesday. “To the extent monies have been disbursed, I would commit to rigorously enforcing documents that have been signed by those companies to make sure we get