The Monetary Policy Committee held the policy rate at 1.00% on 26 Aug 2026, citing weak, uneven growth and shrinking SME credit. FETCO's chairman says a hike is not expected for the rest of 2026, though policy will be reviewed again in the first half of 2027. For SME owners, this means floating-rate loan costs are unlikely to rise near term, so it is a reasonable window to plan financing. Inflation driven by costs or supply, rather than strong domestic demand, would not by itself prompt a hike, so watch cost pressures in your own inputs. This is one commentator's view, not a central bank forecast.