Certificate of deposit (CD) is a short term deposit instrument issued by banks and financial institutions to raise large sums of money. CDs can be issued with maturity periods between 7 days to 12 months by banks, and 1 to 3 years by financial institutions. They must be a minimum of Rs. 1 lakh and can be freely transferred between parties through endorsement and delivery. CDs offer depositors higher returns on their short term surpluses and banks a way to raise resources and improve lending capacity.