Interest rates set to harden: Bankers

Bankers says that both lending and deposit rates are likely to go up by a minimum of 0.5 per cent, as a fall out of RBI announcing a hike in repo rate and CRR of banks.

Bankers on Tuesday said both lending and deposit rates are likely to go up by a minimum of 0.5 per cent, as a fall out of Reserve Bank on Tuesday announcing a hike in short-term lending rate and cash reserve requirement of banks.

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"We have to assess what is the actual impact and a decision would be taken accordingly. A minimum 0.5 per cent hike in our BPLR and deposit rates cannot be ruled out," state-owned Punjab National Bank's Chairman and Managing Director K C Chakarabarty told PTI in Mumbai.

Announcing the quarterly review of credit policy, RBI hiked CRR by 0.25 per cent to 9 per cent and Repo by 0.5 per cent to 9 per cent.

Union Bank of India's Chirman and Managing Director M V Nair said the bank's Asset Liability Committee (ALCO) would look at the liquidity condition of the bank after the hike.

The lender is likely to up its BPLR, Nair said, but did not say what would be the range of revision.