Canada

The Bank of Canada kept its benchmark overnight rate at 2.25%, describing the economy as weak but showing signs of improvement, while pointing to US trade policy and the Middle East conflict as key uncertainties for the path ahead.

The Bank of Canada kept its policy rate at 2.25% for a sixth consecutive meeting, signalling growing comfort with holding steady as growth rebounds and it looks through the energy-driven spike in inflation.

Canada's prudential regulator has expanded the range of reinsurance options recognised under its capital test for property and casualty insurers to include catastrophe bonds.

The Bank of Canada kept its overnight rate at 2.25% on 15 July, a sixth consecutive hold, saying the economy is showing signs of improvement while oil-driven inflation should ease back toward the 2% target by early 2027.

The Bank of Canada kept its policy rate at 2.25% at its July decision, leaving households navigating elevated fixed mortgage rates and a heavy wave of 2026 mortgage renewals amid trade uncertainty and a softening labor market.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the possibility of a 50% tariff on Canadian imports as simple reciprocity, adding to trade tensions that analysts say are clouding a revival in Canadian investment.

Canada's annual inflation rate slowed to 2.8% in June from a two-year high of 3.2% in May, coming in below expectations as gasoline prices decelerated, easing pressure on the Bank of Canada and mortgage borrowers.

The Bank of Canada kept its policy rate at 2.25% for a sixth consecutive meeting, with inflation at 3.2% driven by gasoline, keeping borrowing costs steady for mortgage holders amid Middle East and trade uncertainty.

The Bank of Canada kept its policy rate at 2.25% on July 15 for a sixth consecutive time, saying growth is resuming and oil-driven inflation should fade, while warning it could still hike if price pressures spread.

The Bank of Canada kept its policy interest rate at 2.25%, saying the economy is showing signs of improvement and that inflation should ease gradually toward its 2% target.

The Bank of Canada is widely expected to keep its policy rate at 2.25% at its July 15 decision, leaving households facing elevated fixed mortgage rates and a heavy wave of 2026 mortgage renewals.

Most analysts expect the Bank of Canada to keep its policy rate at 2.25% at its 15 July decision, with variable mortgage rates near 3.3% and fixed rates around 3.9% amid war-driven bond yield pressure.

The Bank of Canada is widely expected to keep its policy rate at 2.25% on 15 July, leaving borrowers navigating elevated fixed mortgage rates and a heavy 2026 renewal wave.

Canada's economy added about 18,000 jobs in June and the unemployment rate slipped to 6.5%, a moderate gain led by part-time and service-sector work that is unlikely to change the Bank of Canada's rate stance.

The Bank of Canada's second-quarter survey found consumers' near-term inflation expectations remain elevated amid trade tensions and rising energy-price concerns, with households still cautious about spending.

A G7 central bank working group, including the Bank of Canada, has published a report setting out key considerations for financial-sector participants as they prepare for quantum computing technologies.

A revival in IPOs and mergers helped fuel about $376 billion of Canadian dealmaking in the first half of 2026, while Fitch upgraded the country's banking-sector outlook after the Big Six beat profit expectations.

The best insured five-year fixed mortgage rate in Canada has fallen back below 4%, while variable rates remain lower, as the Bank of Canada holds its policy rate at 2.25% amid an uncertain outlook.

New Bank of Canada surveys show consumers' near-term inflation expectations remain elevated and business sentiment has weakened amid trade tensions and higher energy prices linked to the Middle East conflict.

A G7 central bank working group, with the Bank of Canada involved, has published its first report urging financial institutions to start preparing for the security risks and opportunities posed by quantum technologies.

Canada's banking regulator is maintaining its loan-to-income limits on mortgage lending and flagging that a challenging trade environment is weighing on growth and borrowers, heightening credit risks for banks.

The US decided not to formally renew the USMCA trade agreement with Canada and Mexico by the July 1 deadline, a move that keeps the pact in force but triggers yearly reviews that could reopen major provisions.

Canada's banking regulator has highlighted heightened credit risks, particularly in residential mortgages and commercial real estate, as a challenging trade environment weighs on the economy, while keeping loan-to-income mortgage limits in place.

Ontario Blue Cross has launched what it calls Canada's first weather-based travel insurance, using automated rain monitoring to pay travellers automatically when bad weather disrupts a trip, without a traditional claims process.

The Bank of Canada says the country's financial system functioned well through a challenging year, with households, businesses and banks in stable shape, but warns that vulnerabilities have increased in some areas amid global turbulence.

Canadian insurers are increasingly using satellite imagery and laser scanning (LiDAR) to assess individual properties' wildfire risk, as actuaries warn that wildfires are no longer following historical patterns. The shift toward predictive, property-level modelling comes as national home insurance inflation hit 4.01% year-on-year in 2026 — well above the 2.3% general inflation rate — with Alberta premiums rising 9.29%. Industry leaders warn that affordability, not capacity, may become Canada's defining insurance crisis.

Ontario is implementing significant auto insurance reforms effective July 1, 2026, making most accident benefits optional in an effort to create more personalized and competitive coverage and lower premiums for drivers who opt out of certain protections. Supporters argue the changes give consumers choice and could reduce costs, while critics warn the reforms risk leaving drivers dangerously underinsured. The overhaul is among the most consequential changes to Canada's largest auto insurance market in years.

Major Canadian insurers including Intact Financial, TD Insurance, Wawanesa, and Definity Financial are pushing homeowners to fortify their properties against wildfires and floods and urging Prime Minister Mark Carney to prioritize climate risk, amid concern that an emphasis on energy and the economy could worsen future catastrophe damage. Canadian home-insurance premiums rose about 6% last year as claims surged, even as the industry's net income climbed 56.7% in 2025. Unlike some countries, Canada's calamity-prone regions remain insurable.

The Bank of Canada held its target overnight rate steady at 2.25% on June 10, 2026, marking its fifth consecutive meeting without a change, as Governor Tiff Macklem cited the need to balance energy-driven inflation — pushed higher by the ongoing Middle East conflict — against economic weakness stemming from US trade policy uncertainty. Canadian inflation rose to 2.8% in April 2026, with the central bank projecting it will peak near 3% before gradually declining to its 2% target by early 2027.