The analysts held to their forecast that the bank's benchmark rate would be 5.25 percent within 11 months, matching the view expressed in the previous analysts' poll published a month ago.

On inflation, expectations were that consumer prices would rise 0.2 percent in February, according to the median forecast of 49 analysts.

The country's economy is seen expanding a brisk 5.0 percent in the first quarter of the year, compared with a year earlier, the poll showed, unchanged from last month's forecast for the period.