mandatory reserves

[MAN-də-tor-ee rih-ZURVZ]
nounpl: mandatory reserves
reservas obrigatórias
1. The minimum amount of funds that financial institutions are required by law to hold and not lend out, set by central banking authorities to ensure financial stability
The Federal Reserve increased mandatory reserves to control inflation in the economy.
O Banco Central aumentou as reservas obrigatórias para controlar a inflação na economia.
2. Capital or liquid assets that banks must maintain as a percentage of their deposits according to regulatory requirements
Banks must maintain mandatory reserves equal to a certain percentage of customer deposits.
Os bancos devem manter reservas obrigatórias equivalentes a um percentual dos depósitos dos clientes.
Mandatory reserves are a crucial tool in Brazilian and U.S. monetary policy. The Banco Central do Brasil (Central Bank of Brazil) frequently adjusts mandatory reserve requirements to influence lending and control inflation. In the USA, the Federal Reserve uses reserve requirements as part of its monetary policy toolkit, though their use has become less common since the 2008 financial crisis.
Synonyms / Sinônimos
reserve requirementcompulsory reserveslegal reservesrequired reserves
Antonyms / Antônimos
excess reservesvoluntary reservesoptional reserves

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
reservas obrigatórias
Standard term used in Brazilian banking and finance sector
Rio de Janeiro
reservas compulsórias
Alternative formal term sometimes used in financial institutions
São Paulo
reservas obrigatórias
Predominant term in São Paulo's major financial centers
Portugal
reservas obrigatórias
Same terminology used in Portuguese banking regulations

Related Words

reserve requirement ratiofractional reserve bankingcentral bankmonetary policyliquidity requirementcapital adequacy

Related Idioms & Phrases

tighten mandatory reserves
ease mandatory reserves
mandatory reserve requirement
Look up more words on Fala2Me
The free English-Portuguese dictionary with real Brazilian accents, NYC slang, conjugator and more
Open Fala2Me →