betétbiztosítást

Betétbiztosítás, often translated as deposit insurance, is a system designed to protect depositors against the loss of their deposited funds should a bank or other financial institution fail. In essence, it acts as a safety net for individuals and businesses who entrust their money to a bank.

The primary goal of deposit insurance is to maintain public confidence in the financial system. By guaranteeing that a certain amount of money is protected, it prevents bank runs, where panicked depositors withdraw their funds en masse, potentially destabilizing even healthy institutions.

The specific coverage amounts and the institutions that administer deposit insurance vary by country. Generally, there is a per-depositor, per-institution limit. This means that if a depositor has multiple accounts at the same failed bank, their total deposits up to the insured limit are protected. However, funds held in different banks are insured separately, up to the limit at each institution.

In the European Union, for instance, Directive 2014/49/EU harmonizes deposit guarantee schemes, setting a minimum coverage level of €100,000 per depositor, per bank. Member states can, and often do, implement higher coverage levels. In Hungary, the primary deposit insurance scheme is managed by the National Deposit Insurance Fund (Országos Betétbiztosítási Alap, OBA), which also adheres to the EU directive.

Deposit insurance typically covers deposits held in current accounts, savings accounts, and term deposits. It usually does not cover investments like stocks, bonds, or mutual funds, even if held within a bank. The funding for deposit insurance schemes usually comes from contributions levied on the financial institutions themselves, creating a pooled fund to cover potential payouts.