The National Bank of Tajikistan has increased the refinancing rate from 12.5 percent to 16 percent per annum, the Bank’s statement of March 20 said.

The move is aimed at keeping the inflation rate of January-February 2017, which totaled 1.7%.

During the first two months of the current year, the somoni has devalued 1.4 percent against the U.S. dollar, the statement said.

The last time the Tajik central bank raised the refinancing rate was in January – from 11 percent to 12.5 percent.

Base rates in other Central Asian regions are as follows: 6% in Kyrgyzstan, 9% in Uzbekistan, and 12% in Kazakhstan.