President Vladimir Putin has said the regulator is acting independently and responsibly while exercising caution to avoid inflation spikes

The Bank of Russia (CBR) has lowered its key interest rate for the fifth consecutive time since June, citing the economy's continued return to a "balanced growth" path.

Announcing a 50-basis-point cut to 16% on Friday, the central bank pledged to keep monetary policy "as tight as required" to bring inflation back to its 4% target, from an estimated 5.8-6% in 2025. The regulator expects inflation to ease to 4.0-5.0% in 2026.

In its statement, the CBR said underlying indicators of current price growth eased in November, while inflation expectations have risen somewhat in recent months and credit activity remains high. "Overall economic activity is expanding at a moderate pace, though unevenly across sectors," it said.

Commenting on the move, President Vladimir Putin said during his annual Q&A session that the gap between inflation and the key rate remains one of the main criticisms directed at the regulator, whose work he described positively overall. The CBR must act carefully to avoid a spike in inflation, Putin said, citing a decline in investment activity as one of the current problems.

"Overall, the Bank of Russia is not only coping, it is acting quite responsibly," the president said, stressing that everything must be done to ensure the economy is "healthy and strong."

Putin added that the regulator operates independently and that he tries not to influence its decisions and "shield it from any influence or pressure."

The CBR's latest interest rate cut continues a shift away from the emergency tightening that followed Western sanctions over the Ukraine conflict in 2022, when the key rate jumped from 9.5% to 20% to stabilize the ruble. After easing and then tightening again amid renewed price pressures, the rate peaked at 21% in October 2024 before the bank began gradual cuts this year.