The Federation Council predicted the retention of the key rate at 14%

The Bank of Russia is likely to keep its key rate at 14% per annum at its next meeting on October 23. This indicator may remain unchanged at least until the end of this year. This opinion was expressed on October 20 by Elena Diaghileva, a member of the Federation Council Committee on Budget and Financial Markets.

The senator noted that the scenario of a rate hike currently looks unlikely. According to her, now we are talking about prolonging the pause in the monetary policy cycle, not about its reversal.

"If we talk about the next meeting of the Central Bank, then I think the key rate will remain at 14% per annum at least until the end of the year. At the same time, I share the opinion of most analysts: an increase scenario is unlikely. It's more about prolonging the pause than about a reversal of monetary policy," the parliamentarian said in an interview with TASS.

Diaghileva recalled that at the previous meeting, the regulator suspended the rate reduction cycle for the first time, which lasted from the summer of 2025. The main reasons for this decision were increased price pressure and the acceleration of steady inflation to 5-6%, including due to the situation in the fuel market.

The senator called maintaining the indicator at the current level a conscious decision aimed at ensuring macroeconomic stability. She stressed that Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized this aspect during the Eastern Economic Forum. At the same time, the parliamentarian acknowledged the urgency of the topic for the business community.

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Denis Astafyev, an entrepreneur, fund manager and founder of the SharesPro fintech platform, and Evgeny Aslamov, CEO of the Svoi Kapital investment company, told Izvestia on October 16 that at the October 23 meeting, the Bank of Russia is likely to keep the key rate at 14%, making a pause in the decline as a short-term trend. The main reason remains the acceleration of inflation above the target values, while lending and budget expenditures increase the risks.