Financial News: China Holds Key Loan Prime Rates As Expected

China Holds Key Loan Prime Rates As Expected

03/20/2026 - 01:44:00 (RTTNews)

(RTTNews) - China's central bank maintained its key loan prime rates for the tenth straight month, as widely expected.

The People's Bank of China maintained its one-year loan prime rate at 3.0 percent. Similarly, the five-year LPR, the benchmark for mortgage rates, was retained at 3.50 percent.

Previously, the bank had reduced its both LPRs by quarter points in October 2024 and 10 basis points each in May 2025.

The central bank sets the LPR monthly based on the submissions of 20 designated banks, though Beijing has influence over the fixing. The LPR replaced the traditional benchmark lending rate in August 2019.

Beijing has lowered its economic growth target to 4.5-5 percent this year from around 5 percent last year. This has lowered the need for stimulus measures to prop up economy.

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