Saudi cuts reverse repo rate by 25bps

Saudi Arabia's central bank said it reduced on Tuesday the reverse repurchase rate by 25 basis points to 0.50 per cent to realign it with short-term rates after inflationary pressures eased.

"This measure has been taken in view of the easing of inflationary pressures in the domestic economy and ample system liquidity warranting a realignment of the reverse repo rate with short-dated rates," the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (Sama) said in a statement in English.

Sama kept the benchmark repurchase rate unchanged at 2 percent. The reverse repurchase rate is the rate at which Sama borrows money from the commercial banks.

The last time Sama moved the rates was on January 19 when it halved the reverse repurchase rate to 0.75 per cent and reduced the repurchase rate cut to 2 per cent from 2.5 per cent.

Saudi Arabia, which pegs its riyal currency to the dollar, has cut interest rates five times since October as it sought to boost liquidity for domestic credit demand and relieve pressure on interbank markets.

The three-month Saudi Interbank Offered Rates has fallen by about 180 basis points since December. It was at 1.1525 at 0856 GMT. The equivalent US Dollar London Interbank Offered Rate was 1.13125 at 0856 GMT. 

 

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