DRC Central Bank Cuts Policy Rate to Support Economy

The Central Bank of Congo (BCC) has taken another important step to support economic activity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by reducing its policy rate by 100 basis points.

The rate was lowered from 13.5% to 12.5% following a meeting of the bank's Monetary Policy Committee on 17 July 2026.

The BCC also reduced the rate on its marginal lending facility from 17.5% to 16.5%. This is the rate charged when eligible commercial banks obtain short-term emergency funding from the central bank.

Announcing the decision, BCC Governor André Wameso said the measures were intended to support financing for the Congolese economy while maintaining price stability.

Key details of the BCC decision

A reduction of 100 basis points is equal to one percentage point.

The central bank also introduced a new 252-day maturity for BCC bills, giving it an additional instrument for managing liquidity in the financial system.

Reserve requirements, the portion of customer deposits that banks must keep rather than lend, were left unchanged. This suggests the BCC is easing monetary conditions carefully instead of releasing a large and uncontrolled amount of money into the economy.

What is the BCC policy rate?

The policy rate is the main interest-rate tool used by the Central Bank of Congo to influence borrowing, lending, inflation and the supply of money.