It is the tumble that hurts: Wednesday, July 16, the Minister of Economy and Finance, Eric Lombard acted the drop in the rate of the booklet A, which will pass from 2.4% to 1.7% on August 1or a division by almost two with regard to the yield of 3% which he still displayed in January. Fortunately, an alternative exists for millions of savers: the popular savings book (LEP), “The most advantageous product today of regulated savings”recalled the governor of the Banque de France, François Villeroy de Galhau, during a press conference, this Thursday, July 17.
Certainly, this alternative is not open to everyone. This booklet, which is possible to benefit from the same conditions in any bank, is indeed reserved for certain savers according to their income. To open a LEP this year, you have to win for example less than 22,823 euros per year For a single person (or 35,012 euros for a married or PACS couple), or less than 1,900 euros monthly.
At least 7 million eligible French people do not yet benefit
But as the governor of the Banque de France recalled during the presentation of the annual regulated savings report, many eligible people do not yet benefit: “We have made a lot of progress in the dissemination of LEP but not yet enough.” Between December 2021 and 2024, the number of LEPs went from 6.9 to 11.9 million, and in 2024 the number of new open LEPs increased by one million.
However, according to data put forward by the Banque de France, 31 million people meet the eligibility criteria, including 19 million with a capacity to save. Thus, with 12 million holders at present, still 7 million – at least – eligible French people still lack the call. Among them, however, there are undoubtedly many holders of a booklet A, owned by 83% of French people (or 58 million booklets A).
However, the latter would have every interest in opening a LEP to pay part of the money held on their booklet A. Admittedly, the LEP ceiling is limited to 10,000 euros (against 22,950 euros for booklet A), but the savings filed on the first will be better remunerated, at least until February 1, 2026 (date of the next rate revision): 2.7% for the LEP, against 1.7% for 1.7% LEP continues to display a rate “Almost three times higher than the inflation observed in the first half, which was about 0.9%”recalled François Villeroy de Galhau. All, as on your booklet A, with the possibility of recovering your savings at any time, and without any tax to pay on your interests.
