AikBank presented the results of its first annual AikBank Pulse Savings survey, which showed that Serbian citizens view savings as a way to set money aside, but they also view it in the long term, as a basis for more independent decision-making about the future.

This is supported by the fact that three quarters of all respondents have some form of savings, be it formal savings in banks or some other way of saving money, and the largest number of respondents (60%) save by setting aside smaller amounts regularly every month. A third of savers already set aside money for savings at the beginning of the month, while 23% of respondents follow the opposite logic - they put the amount they have left at the end of the month into savings. Most savers are in the age group of 30-39 years and save the most in Belgrade and Šumadija, while the ratio of men and women who save is even and with a slight advantage in favor of women. When looking at the length of time they save, 33% of respondents save for less than three years, and 30% of respondents save for more than 10 years.

The largest number of respondents (33%) decided to start saving in the previous three years, and the main reasons for saving are a habit acquired in the family (45% of respondents) and uncertainty due to external factors, such as the labor market or inflation (44%). In addition to creating a sense of security through savings, citizens also save for specific goals. The most frequently mentioned reasons are: buying an apartment and a car among the population aged 18-29, parenthood for those aged 30-39, and the health situation of respondents over 65 years old.

AikBank Savings Pulse also examined what citizens see as the safest way to save and increase the value of money. Investing in real estate came first (22%), followed by keeping money at home (21%) and saving in the bank (20%). When asked what gives them a sense of financial security, every fourth respondent pointed out predictable monthly expenses, followed by savings (22%). In order to create a secure future, citizens also rely on loans, either from friends (18%) or from the bank (10%), and 12% of respondents stated that they feel secure because of the additional income they earn through additional work or renting real estate.

It is interesting that the research showed that the safety of keeping money is the primary reason for saving in the bank, while the amount of interest comes after that - 29 and 22 percent, respectively. At the same time, security is the most common association with saving in the bank, which was stated by 38% of respondents, for 17% of them it was trust, while 10% of respondents highlighted control over finances, that is, renunciation.

AikBank's Savings Pulse also investigated what amounts of savings citizens would feel comfortable with and ready for the future. Every fourth respondent indicated an amount of over 20,000 euros, while a similar percentage (23%) of those who have sufficient savings between 5,000 and 10,000 euros.

What do the non-savers say?

One quarter of respondents to the AikBank Savings Index survey have not yet started saving, and 71% of them say that the main motive for starting savings would be a higher salary or pension. On the other hand, as the biggest challenge for which they still haven't started saving, the majority (37% of respondents) say they don't have the motivation to start saving, 33% consider themselves to have no discipline not to touch savings, while 18% say they don't have money to save. Money security (39% of respondents), as well as flexibility in accessing money (20%) would decide them to save in a bank.