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Glossary › Repo Rate

What is Repo Rate?

The interest rate at which a central bank lends to commercial banks — the anchor for loan rates.

The repo (or policy) rate is set by the central bank. When it rises, banks' borrowing costs rise and loan rates follow; when it falls, loans get cheaper. Floating-rate loans move with it.

Example

If the policy repo rate is 5.25%, floating home loans sit a few points above it.

What the repo rate is

The repo rate is the interest rate at which a country's central bank lends short-term funds to commercial banks. It is the central bank's main policy lever: raising it makes borrowing more expensive to cool inflation, while cutting it makes credit cheaper to support growth.

How a repo change reaches you

The repo rate anchors the whole rate structure. When it moves, banks re-price loans and deposits: floating-rate and benchmark-linked loans re-set higher or lower, and savings and fixed-deposit rates follow. That is why a central-bank decision on the repo rate directly affects your mortgage payment and your deposit returns.

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