free reserves

[friː rɪˈzɜːrvz]
noun
reservas livres
1. The portion of a bank's reserves that exceeds the minimum reserve requirement set by the central bank, available for lending or investment purposes
The bank's free reserves increased after the central bank lowered the reserve requirement ratio.
As reservas livres do banco aumentaram após o banco central reduzir o índice de compulsório.
2. Assets held by a financial institution that are not legally required to be held as reserves and can be used for operational or investment purposes
Free reserves provide banks with flexibility to meet unexpected withdrawals or fund new loans.
As reservas livres proporcionam aos bancos flexibilidade para atender saques inesperados ou financiar novos empréstimos.
This is a technical financial term primarily used in banking, central banking, and monetary policy discussions. In Brazil, the Central Bank (Banco Central do Brasil) uses this concept in monetary policy implementation. In the USA, the Federal Reserve (Fed) monitors free reserves as an important indicator of monetary conditions and banking system liquidity. The term became particularly significant after the 2008 financial crisis when central banks implemented quantitative easing and modified reserve requirements.
Synonyms / Sinônimos
excess reservessurplus reservesavailable reservesdiscretionary reserves
Antonyms / Antônimos
required reservesmandatory reservesreserve requirements

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
reservas livres
Standard term used in banking and finance sectors
São Paulo
reservas livres
Common in financial centers and banking institutions
Portugal
reservas livres
Standard European Portuguese usage in financial contexts
USA
free reserves
Technical term used by the Federal Reserve and banking institutions

Related Words

reserve requirementcentral bankliquid assetsmonetary policyfractional reserve banking

Related Idioms & Phrases

maintain free reserves at a healthy level
tap into free reserves
free reserves buffer
Look up more words on Fala2Me
The free English-Portuguese dictionary with real Brazilian accents, NYC slang, conjugator and more
Open Fala2Me →