, Feb. 9 -- Bangladesh Bank maintained a tight monetary stance for the second half of fiscal year 2025-26, keeping the policy rate unchanged at 10%, as the central bank seeks to contain inflation while pushing lenders for increasing private-sector credit.

Governor Ahsan H Mansur unveiled the January-June monetary policy on Monday at a press conference at the central bank's headquarters in Motijheel, marking the final policy statement under the interim government.

While key interest rates were left unchanged, the central bank cut the Standing Deposit Facility (SDF) rate by 50 basis points to 7.5% from 8%, a move aimed at discouraging banks from parking excess liquidity with the central bank and encouraging lending and inter-bank market a...