<h1>Central bank holds policy repo rate at 5.5% with neutral stance amid tariff risks and GST dampening consumption</h1> The central bank kept the policy repo rate unchanged at 5.5% with a neutral stance, citing tariff-related uncertainties as a downside risk to growth and noting that recent GST rate rationalisation may dampen consumption. The Monetary Policy Committee's unanimous decision follows cumulative easing of 100 basis points since February through incremental cuts, including a 50 bps cut in June. The bank remains mandated to keep CPI inflation around 4% with a ±2% band; headline retail inflation has trended below 4% since February and eased to 2.07% in August.