Mumbai | Following are the highlights of the bi-monthly monetary policy announced by Reserve Bank Governor Sanjay Malhotra on Friday:

* Benchmark lending rates unchanged with repo rate at 5.25 pc;

* Monetary policy stance remains neutral;

* GST reforms, monetary easing, low inflation to support pvt consumption; * Trade deals to boost exports;

* GDP growth projections revised upwards for Q1 and Q2 of FY27 to 6.9 pc and 7 pc, respectively;

* Measures in Union Budget conducive for economic growth;

* Retail inflation for current fiscal projected at 2.1 pc;

* CPI inflation for Q1 and Q2 of FY27 projected at 4 pc and 4.2 pc, respectively;

* Excluding precious metals, underlying inflation pressures remain muted; * India's forex reserves stood at USD 723.8 bn;

* Framework soon to compensate customers up to Rs 25,000 for losses in frauds;

* RBI proposes measures to protect senior citizens from digital frauds;

* Collateral-free loan limit for MSMEs to be doubled to Rs 20 lakh;

* Banks to be allowed lend to REITs;

* Branch opening norms for certain types of NBFCs to be relaxed;

* Next meeting of RBI's MPC scheduled for April 6- 8, 2026.