The Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye (CBRT) has initiated a monetary easing cycle, reducing its policy interest rate by 250 basis points to 45%. This decision follows a period of maintaining the rate at 50% and reflects a response to the declining inflation trend, with annual inflation decreasing to 44.38% in December 2024 from a peak of 75% in May 2024.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has indicated that further interest rate cuts are anticipated throughout 2025, emphasizing the priority of reducing inflation through various tools, including monetary policy adjustments. A Reuters poll suggests that the central bank may ease rates to approximately 28.5% by the end of 2025, with forecasts ranging between 25% and 33%.
The CBRT's strategy includes reducing the number of policy meetings to eight in 2025, down from twelve in 2024, to better manage monetary policy decisions. Additionally, the International Monetary Fund has advised Turkey to avoid substantial minimum wage increases, as they can fuel inflation, and instead focus on targeted social programs to support low-income populations.
Regarding the Turkish Lira's outlook, Standard & Poor's forecasts the currency to trade at 42.0 against the USD by the end of 2025. This projection aligns with the anticipated monetary policy adjustments and the ongoing efforts to stabilize inflation.