The National Bank of Rwanda lifted its benchmark interest rate by 50 bps to 7.25% during its February 2026 meeting, pushing borrowing costs to the highest since April 2024. The hike aims to keep inflation under control and within the central bank’s 2–8% target range. The overall inflation rate rose for the second month to a seven-month high of 7.5% in January 2026, compared to December's 5.2%, with urban inflation accelerating to 8.9% from 8% in December.