Reserve Requirement

Business, Legal & Accounting Glossary

Definition: Reserve Requirement


Reserve Requirement

Quick Summary of Reserve Requirement


The reserve requirement is the amount specified by the Federal Reserve that a bank must hold in reserves or vault cash.




Full Definition of Reserve Requirement


The reserve requirement is the fraction of deposits that a central bank requires that banks hold rather than lend out.

Thus, a reserve requirement is a tool of monetary policy. The reserve requirement has such a powerful effect on the money supply that it is considered too blunt to change regularly. In the US, the Federal Reserve usually sets a reserve requirement of approximately 10%, and even slight changes are made very infrequently. US banks must deposit at least their reserve requirement with one of the Federal Reserve branches. At this reserve requirement rate, the US banking system has a simple deposit multiplier of 10. Thus, with a 10% reserve requirement, the Fed can increase or decrease the broad money supply by a convenient 10 times the amount of any open market operation.


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Definition Sources


Definitions for Reserve Requirement are sourced/syndicated and enhanced from:

  • A Dictionary of Economics (Oxford Quick Reference)
  • Oxford Dictionary Of Accounting
  • Oxford Dictionary Of Business & Management

This glossary post was last updated: 29th November, 2021 | 0 Views.