Bank Lending Rates Soften Marginally; Fresh Deposit Rates Fall in August: RBI

Mumbai: The weighted average lending rate (WALR) on outstanding rupee loans of scheduled commercial banks edged down to 8.96 per cent in August 2026 from 8.97 per cent in July, according to RBI data released on Wednesday.

The WALR on fresh rupee loans, however, rose to 8.61 per cent in August from 8.52 per cent in the previous month, indicating a mixed movement in lending rates during the month, the data showed.

The one-year median marginal cost of funds-based lending rate (MCLR) of scheduled commercial banks declined to 8.61 per cent in September from 8.70 per cent in August.

Sector-wise, the WALR on both fresh and outstanding rupee loans showed mixed movements in August, the central bank said.

The share of external benchmark-linked loans in total outstanding floating-rate rupee loans of scheduled commercial banks increased to 68.2 per cent at end-June from 67.6 per cent at end-March.

In contrast, the share of MCLR-linked loans declined to 29.6 per cent from 30.2 per cent during the period.

On the deposit side, the weighted average domestic term deposit rate (WADTDR) on outstanding rupee term deposits declined marginally to 6.56 per cent in August from 6.58 per cent in July.

The WADTDR on fresh rupee term deposits fell more sharply to 5.67 per cent in August from 5.85 per cent in July, the RBI data showed.

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