Blog · 19 Jul 2026
India’s 35-Year Journey of 1-Year Bank FD Interest Rates
If you’re in your 50s or 60s, you’ve probably heard someone say, “Those were the days… banks used to offer 12% interest on fixed deposits!” And…
If you’re in your 50s or 60s, you’ve probably heard someone say, “Those were the days… banks used to offer 12% interest on fixed deposits!” And if you’re a younger investor, you may have wondered, “Did FD rates really go that high?” The answer is yes.
But the story behind those rates is much more interesting. In this article, let’s take a look at how one-year bank fixed deposit rates in India have changed over the last 35 years, why they moved the way they did, and what investors can learn from that journey. Why This Topic Is Personal to Me? This isn’t just another article with charts and numbers.
It reminds me of a phase from my own life. In 1992, I lost my father unexpectedly. He was working in a public sector bank.