RBI Repo Rate October 2026: Home Loan EMI Impact if Rate Rises to 5.50%
RBI Repo Rate October 2026: Will Home Loan EMIs Rise if RBI Hikes Rates to 5.50%? India | October 5, 2026 India’s homebuyers have a new number to watch this week. The Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee began its October meeting on October 5 , with its interest-rate decision scheduled for October 7, 2026 . The current policy repo rate is 5.25% . Financial markets and a majority of economists now expect the RBI to consider raising it by 25 basis points to 5.50% , as inflation has moved above the central bank’s 4% medium-term target and global borrowing costs remain elevated. A Reuters poll published ahead of the meeting found that 35 of 61 economists — nearly 60% — expect a 25-basis-point hike . Market pricing was even more decisive at the time of the report, with interest-rate swaps effectively pricing in higher borrowing costs. If the RBI does raise the repo rate, it would be its first rate increase since February 2023 . But that sentence needs one important word: ...