RBI MPC: Will Malhotra & co hike repo rate?

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Key points

• Ahead of the MPC statement, brent futures rose 93 cents, or 0.92%, to $101.51 a barrel by 0022 GMT.
• The RBI has held the policy repo rate at 5.25% for four consecutive reviews after cutting rates by a cumulative 125 basis points in 2025.
• After cumulative rate cuts of 125 basis points in 2025, the RBI has kept the repo rate unchanged at 5.25% for the past four policy reviews.
• RBI MPC Session October 2026 Live: Guv Sanjay Malhotra to deliver monetary policy statement today.
• While ICICI Bank sees it at 5.1%, union Bank expects FY27 inflation at 5.4%.

RBI Policy Session 2026 Live: Repo rate hike or status quo? All eyes on Governor Sanjay Malhotra as RBI MPC decision looms07 Oct 2026 06: 45: 48 AM IST.

RBI MPC Session Live Updates: All eyes are on Reserve Bank of India Governor Sanjay Malhotra as the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) prepares to announce its October policy decision, with inflation, crude oil costs and the direction of monetary policy firmly in focus. The RBI has held the policy repo rate at 5.25% for four consecutive reviews after cutting rates by a cumulative 125 basis points in 2025. Expectations are firmly tilted towards a 25-basis-point rate hike to 5.50%.

RBI Monetary Policy Session: The Reserve Bank of India's Monetary Policy Committee is due to announce its October policy decision today, with Governor Sanjay Malhotra anticipated to provide the clearest signal yet on how the central bank intends to respond to renewed inflationary pressures, elevated crude oil rates and a shifting global interest-rate environment. After cumulative rate cuts of 125 basis points in 2025, the RBI has kept the repo rate unchanged at 5.25% for the past four policy reviews. The October session comes against a different backdrop, with August retail inflation at 4.82%, crude oil costs elevated against the backdrop of geopolitical tensions and major global central banks moving towards tighter monetary policy. RBI MPC October 2026: Date and time The six-member MPC met from October 5 to October 7 for its latest bi-monthly review. Governor Sanjay Malhotra is scheduled to announce the Monetary Policy Statement at 10 am on Wednesday, October 7. A post-policy press conference is scheduled for 12 noon. Will RBI hike repo rate today? Expectations of a repo rate change are heavily tilted towards a 25-basis-point hike. It would take the interest rate from 5.25% to 5.50%. Notably, an ET poll of 21 economists and bank executives discovered that 20 expect a 25-basis-point rise. A separate Reuters poll indicated almost 60% of economists expecting a similar move. When the central bank raised the benchmark rate to 6.50%, such a move would mark the RBI's first repo rate growth since February 2023. Nevertheless, the repo rate decision is only one part of today's policy. Markets will closely track Governor Malhotra's commentary on the inflation trajectory, crude oil risks, liquidity, the rupee and the MPC's policy stance. The central bank's guidance will determine whether investors interpret it as the beginning of a sustained tightening cycle or a limited response to a temporary inflation shock. While others argue that supply-side inflation and elevated borrowing costs produce an aggressive tightening cycle tough, some economists expect further rate increases afterwards in FY27.

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RBI MPC Session Live: Crude oil above $100 puts inflation in focus.

RBI Monetary Policy Session Live: Crude oil costs have emerged as a key risk for the RBI ahead of its October policy decision, with Brent crude ending September at around $103 a barrel, well above the central bank's FY27 assumption of $85. Rates crossed $100 in early September against the backdrop of supply disruptions, raising reservations over imported inflation and the outlook for consumer costs. According to An ET poll, persistently high crude costs have strengthened expectations of a 25-basis-point repo rate hike.

RBI Monetary Policy Session Live: Oil costs rise ahead of Guv Sanjay Malhotra's repo rate decision.

RBI Session Updates Live: Oil costs rose on Wednesday as the international market weighed supply constraints from a storm heading for US oil-producing regions and attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis on Saudi Arabia against rose supplies of Middle East crude. Ahead of the MPC statement, brent futures rose 93 cents, or 0.92%, to $101.51 a barrel by 0022 GMT.

RBI Monetary Policy Session Live: Economists see RBI turning hawkish on repo rate decision.

RBI MPC Session Updates Live: The RBI is anticipated to raise the repo rate by 25 basis points in its October policy review as inflationary pressures build against the backdrop of the re-escalation of the West Asia crisis and rate hikes by global central banks, according to a PTI poll of 16 economists and bankers. While views remain divided on whether the RBI will change its policy stance, a majority of respondents expect a hawkish tone.

RBI MPC October 2026: RBI may raise FY27 inflation forecast as crude, monsoon risks mount.

RBI Session Updates Live: The RBI could revise its FY27 inflation forecast higher in the October policy as elevated crude oil costs, geopolitical tensions and a deficient monsoon add to cost pressures. The central bank had projected the after: Economists expect the inflation trajectory to be revised upwards, with some seeing CPI inflation moving above 6% in the second half of the financial year if crude costs remain elevated. While ICICI Bank sees it at 5.1%, union Bank expects FY27 inflation at 5.4%. The final forecast will offer an significant signal on how the RBI views the persistence of the current inflation shock.

RBI MPC Session October 2026: Date, time and where to watch repo rate decision. RBI Monetary Policy Session Live: Will RBI hike repo rate today?

RBI MPC Session October 2026 Live: The RBI is widely anticipated to commence raising interest rates in October, with 20 of the 21 economists and bank executives surveyed by ET forecasting a 25-basis-point hike in the repo rate to 5.50%. Persistent crude oil rates above $100 a barrel, rising inflation risks and the US Federal Reserve's recent rate hike have strengthened the case for tightening. RBI Monetary Policy Session Live: Hello ET Readers!

RBI Session Updates Live: The Reserve Bank of India's Monetary Policy Committee is due to announce its October policy decision today, with inflationary pressures, elevated crude oil costs and resilient economic expansion putting the repo rate in focus. While economists are divided over whether the central bank will commence a rate-hike cycle, the RBI has kept the repo rate unchanged at 5.25% for the past four policy meetings.

In short, RBI MPC: Will Malhotra & co hike repo rate? Is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.