Rabobank announces 0.25% cut in variable base rate for rural loans

Rabobank Australia has announced it will reduce the variable base rate on its rural loans by 0.25% per annum, effective February 28, 2025.

Rabobank group executive for Country Banking Australia, Marcel van Doremaele said the bank was pleased to be able to pass on the full 0.25% rate reduction to its Australian rural lending clients, following the Reserve Bank of Australia’s decision to cut the official cash rate (OCR), announced this month.

“We are pleased to be in a position to pass on the full official cash rate reduction to our rural lending clients at this time. It will be a welcome reduction in costs, particularly when primary producers are still facing a relatively high-cost environment in terms of inputs, such as fertilisers, farm chemicals, fuel and freight,” he said.

Mr van Doremaele said the bank had also undertaken a detailed review of its deposits business and was able, in the current circumstances, to not pass on the full 0.25% interest rate reduction on a number of its deposit products. “While our variable rate and shorter-tenure term deposit rates are reducing, some of our longer-tenure term deposit rates are in fact increasing,” he said.

The deposit rate changes will take effect on February 24, 2025 or February 28, 2025, depending on the deposit product.

Rabobank Australia & New Zealand Group is a part of the international Rabobank Group, the world’s leading specialist in food and agribusiness banking. Rabobank has more than 125 years’ experience providing customised banking and finance solutions to businesses involved in all aspects of food and agribusiness. Rabobank is structured as a cooperative and operates in 38 countries, servicing the needs of more than nine million clients worldwide through a network of more than 1000 offices and branches. Rabobank Australia & New Zealand Group is one of Australasia’s leading agricultural lenders and a significant provider of business and corporate banking and financial services to the region’s food and agribusiness sector. The bank has 87 branches throughout Australia and New Zealand.