OREANDA-NEWS. April 25, 2011. The residents deposited 2.32 billion lei in banks in March 2011, up by 130 million against the month before, according to data by the National Bank of Moldova (BNM).

The residents' savings in banks grew to 6.8 billion lei in the first quarter of 2011. Last March, the banks offered an 8.92-per-cent average interest rate on private people's deposits in Moldovan lei, and a 3.35-per-cent on the deposits in foreign currency.

The highest interest rates on the savings in the national currency - 10.86 per cent - were offered for a period of more than one year and 9.59 per cent for the deposits from 6 to 12 months.

About 87 per cent of all the deposits were put in banks for 3-6 months and 6-12 months in March 2011. As for the deposits in foreign currency, the residents' savings are deposited on a medium term as well. The depositors continue to be cautious when it comes to the term of keeping money in banks.

BNM data show that the residents deposited about half a billion lei in banks in the first quarter of 2011 - less than in the same period of 2010.