The expert predicted the retention of the Central Bank's key rate at the next meeting.

At the next meeting of the Board of Directors of the Bank of Russia, which will be held on April 25, the key rate is likely to remain unchanged, Deputy Chairman of the Board of SDM-Bank, Head of Treasury Eduard Lushin told Izvestia on April 21.

"We expect the key rate to remain unchanged and minor changes to the text of the decision. The central bank has repeatedly made it clear that it will maintain tight monetary conditions to ensure the sustainability of the decline in inflation. The regulator will continue to restrain economic activity until it is sure that inflation is moving towards its targets," he explained.

According to the expert, in 2025, the situation was affected by the unexpected strengthening of the ruble, which slowed down the increase in prices for imported goods.

"Cooling consumer demand, rising savings, and regulatory measures to limit lending, including mortgages, car loans, and consumer loans, also played a role," he explained.

In addition, despite the slowdown in inflation, the Bank of Russia remains cautious.

"The central Bank is in no hurry to lower the rate and warns that if pro—inflationary factors appear, it may even consider raising it," Lushin summed up.

Tariff plan: the market expects the key to remain at the level of 21%

How will the Central Bank take into account the new round of trade wars when making a decision and will it be able to maneuver between inflation and GDP growth

Earlier, on March 21, the regulator decided to keep the current key rate level at 21%. The Central Bank noted that the growth of domestic demand continues to outpace the possibilities of expanding the supply of goods and services. According to the forecast of the Bank of Russia, taking into account the current monetary policy, inflation will decrease to 7-8% in 2025, return to 4% in 2026 and will remain at the target level in the future.