What Is Maturity?
Maturity is the date on which the life of a transaction or financial instrument ends, after which it must either be renewed or it will cease to exist. The term is commonly used for deposits, foreign exchange spot trades, forward transactions, interest rate and commodity swaps, options, loans, and fixed income instruments such as bonds.
Financial institutions sometimes temporarily alter maturity dates as part of a promotion to entice new investors. For promotional certificates of deposits (CDs), a bank may offer a higher rate of return for a short-term CD. At maturity, the promotional CD will generally renew at the rate and time frame of a standard CD.
Understanding Maturity
Some financial instruments, such as deposits and loans, require repayment of principal and interest on the maturity date. Others, such as foreign exchange (forex) transactions, provide for the delivery of a commodity. Still others, such as interest rate swaps, consist of a series of cash flows with the final one occurring at maturity.
Maturity of a Deposit
The maturity of a deposit is the date on which the principal is returned to the investor. Interest is sometimes paid periodically during the lifetime of the deposit, or at maturity. Many interbank deposits are overnight, including most euro deposits, and a maturity of more than 12 months is rare.
