Abstract
This article argues that by forcing financial intermediaries (FI) to substitute implicit interest for monetary interest payments, deposit rate ceilings may increase the cost of savings mobilisation, especially from non‐wealthy households. This mechanism may partially explain the lack of small savers’ deposit opportunities in developing countries. A simple model is used to elucidate this mechanism, as well as the effects of financial technology, intensity of competition, and external funding on an FI's savings mobilisation operations.

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