RBI MPC Meeting 2026 LIVE: The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) began its three-day monetary policy meeting on Monday, with RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra set to announce the policy decision on August 5.
The central bank will unveil the outcome of the policy review at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, followed by a press conference at 12:00 p.m., where Governor Malhotra will elaborate on the MPC’s decision and the central bank’s outlook. The Governor’s policy statement will also be broadcast live on the RBI’s official YouTube channel.
Market participants and economists largely expect the RBI to maintain the repo rate at 5.25%, opting for a status quo amid heightened global uncertainty. The anticipated pause comes even as consumer inflation has inched higher in recent months, although it continues to remain within the RBI’s prescribed target range.
RBI MPC Preview
According to Harshal Dasani, Business Head – INVasset PMS, the key takeaway from the August policy is unlikely to be the interest rate decision itself, but rather the central bank’s commentary on inflation, liquidity conditions and the broader macroeconomic outlook.
Dasani said the RBI is widely expected to leave the repo rate unchanged at 5.25%, with the policy focus shifting towards its guidance on inflation and liquidity. He noted that inflation has edged above the RBI’s medium-term target, while economic growth has remained reasonably resilient despite an uncertain global environment characterised by elevated crude oil prices and ongoing geopolitical risks. Given these conditions, Dasani believes the Monetary Policy Committee has little incentive to make any abrupt changes to monetary policy.
RBI June Policy
The upcoming policy decision follows the RBI’s June monetary policy review, when the central bank also chose to keep key policy rates unchanged. At the meeting held between June 3 and June 5, the Monetary Policy Committee retained the repo rate at 5.25% and continued with its ‘neutral’ policy stance.
In addition to leaving the benchmark lending rate unchanged, the RBI had also retained the Standing Deposit Facility (SDF) rate at 5%, while keeping the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and the bank rate unchanged at 5.5%. Investors will now closely watch whether the central bank maintains its existing policy stance and whether it offers fresh guidance on inflation, liquidity and the domestic growth outlook in the face of evolving global risks.
Track live updates from the RBI MPC meeting here.
