SBP maintains policy rate at 10.5pc

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) maintained its key policy rate at 10.5 per cent on Monday during its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting.

Brokerage house Topline Securities noted that this “came as a surprise” as a majority of their participants were expecting a rate cut.

According to the Monetary Policy Statement released by the State Bank, while headline inflation was 5.6pc in December 2025, core inflation steadied around a higher level of 7.4pc.

The committee also noted that the trade deficit had widened due to a substantial increase in imports and a decline in exports. However, based on resilient workers’ remittances and benign global commodity prices, the current account deficit remained contained.

As a result of this, the MPC noted that inflation and the current account are broadly unchanged, while the outlook for economic growth has improved. Based on this, the committee believed it prudent to hold the policy rate unchanged at the current level to ensure price stability and sustainable economic growth.

Since its last meeting, the committee noted that real GDP growth was provisionally reported at 3.7pc year on year for the first quarter of the FY2026, led by the industry and agriculture sectors. Auto sales, domestic cement dispatches, Petroleum, Oil and Lubricants (POL) sales (excluding furnace oil), fertiliser off-take, and imports of machinery and intermediate goods recorded notable growth, suggesting sustained domestic demand.

Large-scale manufacturing (LSM) posted growth of 8pc year on year and 10.4 pc year on year in October and November 2025, raising LSM growth to 6pc during July-November FY2026, according to the committee’s findings. Their findings also posted that the latest information in agriculture pointed to encouraging prospects for the wheat crop. These favourable developments in the commodity-producing sectors were expected to provide further energy to the services sector.

The MPC noted that this improved upon earlier estimates of GDP growth, now projecting it in the range of 3.75-4.75pc for FY2026, expecting this momentum to strengthen further in FY2027, supported by the unfolding earlier reduction in the policy rate.

They also noted that consumer and business confidence improved, and inflation expectations of these stakeholders eased. Furthermore, the State Bank’s forex reserves surpassed the end-December target, reaching $16.1 billion as of January 16, led by SBP’s ongoing forex purchases.

The committee also noted that the IMF had slightly upgraded Pakistan’s global growth forecast for FY2026, while highlighting risks from elevated global tariff uncertainty and volatile commodity prices.

Due to these developments, the MPC maintained the real policy rate to stabilize inflation within the target range of 5 to 7pc over the medium term. The committee also emphasised the need for a coordinated and prudent monetary and fiscal policy mix, along with structural reforms to enhance productivity, to increase exports, and achieve high growth on a sustainable basis.

During the last MPC meeting, the central bank revised its benchmark rate to 10.5 per cent, a 50-basis-point reduction, noting that inflation remained within the 5-7 per cent target range on average during July-November of the 2026 fiscal year, though it said core inflation proved relatively sticky.

In a poll by Reuters, analysts expected another 50- to 100-basis-point reduction in the monetary policy rate today, bringing the rate to 9.5 or 10 per cent, owing to easing inflation, rising foreign exchange reserves, and a relatively stable rupee.

Ahead of the rate cut announcement, belief had been strengthened by the government’s reduction of cut-off yields across most tenors to single digits for the first time in four years on January 21.

Local businessmen were looking for a steeper decline in the interest rate to restore investor confidence in the economy.

During the last rate cut, the business community expressed their dismay at the 50 basis point cut, with the president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce expressing that “such a token adjustment falls far short of what is urgently required to revive Pakistan’s fragile economy and restore business confidence.”

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