The last time the Livret A ceiling was raised, the French had deposited billions there: will the scenario repeat itself in 2027 despite a rate of barely 1.7%?

Will the French soon rush to Livret A? This Tuesday, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu confirmed that its ceiling could be raised from February 2027, compared to 22,950 euros currently.

The new ceiling could reach between 25,000 and 30,000 euros, the question has not yet been resolved.

This increase will take place "at the same time as the update of the rate which will also increase", specified the head of government. The government's objective, with this increase, is to increase the overall sum (the outstanding balance) placed in Livret A accounts. Part of this money is currently used to finance social housing via the Caisse des Dépôts (CDC).

Faced with public finances slipping, the government is looking for ways to finance itself. Faced with the protest movement of high school students, who are demanding, among other things, the renovation of schools, the government has announced that it wants to direct part of these savings towards the renovation of public buildings, to adapt them to climate change. He also wants this money to finance future nuclear reactors.

But will the results be there? A windfall of 30 or 10 billion? “It’s an emergency measure to respond to an emergency situation,” Philippe Crevel, economist and director of the Cercle de l’épargne, explains to BFM Business.

But for the expert, this measure will not “resolve the problem of public finances”. It is rather a helping hand to find additional debt capacity. Because France cannot hope to significantly reduce its debt, which has reached 3.

595 billion euros, thanks to the Livret A. At the end of September, the outstanding balance of the preferred investment of the French amounted to 442 billion dollars. The director general of the CDC, Olivier Sichel, estimated in September with Challenges that an increase in the Livret A ceiling to 30.

000 euros could drain an additional 30 to 40 billion euros. For its part, the Savings Circle is much more cautious and estimates that the measure can “potentially” generate 10 billion euros in additional outstandings. Will the French play the game?

The question is whether the French will take advantage of it and actually place more money in their Livret A. The impact of raising the ceiling could be limited, because this savings product is not the most attractive. As a reminder, the Livret A is a regulated savings product.

His current pay rate, set at 1.7%, gives him a negative real return due to inflation. In other words, savers are currently losing some money. According to the latest figures from the Banque de France, 83% of French people have a Livret A at the end of 2025, and the average sum invested is 7.

Machine-translated from French