India’s central bank slashes interest rates

Mumbai

India’s central bank cut interest rates sharply yesterday as the coronavirus outbreak deepens fears for Asia’s third largest economy. The move, which came ahead of the bank’s scheduled meeting next month, followed similar measures around the world as finance chiefs struggle to stave off what could be the worst economic crisis in decades.

As manufacturing activity and consumption grinds to a halt under a lockdown, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said the benchmark repo rate -- the level at which it lends to commercial banks -- would be cut by 75 basis points to 4.40 per cent.

The reverse repo rate, the rate at which it borrows from commercial banks, was lowered 90 basis points. The bank also cut the amount of cash lenders must set aside as reserves by one percentage point to three percent to encourage lending to small businesses hit by the crisis.

“This kind of uncertain outlook has never been seen before... finance is the lifeline of the economy and keeping it active is of paramount importance for the RBI,” central bank governor Shaktikanta Das said in a surprise announcement in Mumbai.

He added that India needed conventional and non-conventional measures to tackle the unprecedented situation depending on the spread, intensity, and duration of the COVID-19 outbreak. Das said India would struggle to achieve fourth-quarter growth projections of 4.7pc as major global economies faced the risk of recession.

The bank last slashed its rates by 75 points in November 2008, during the global financial crisis. “The RBI announcement ensures banks will have enough funds for lending and will inject liquidity into parts of the economy... through this tremendously challenging period,” Sameer Narang, an economist with the Bank of Baroda, said.

India on Thursday announced an economic welfare package of 1.7 trillion rupees ($22.54 billion) to help its poorest citizens with direct cash transfers and food subsidies for three months.