PRAGUE: The Czech central bank's board will return to debate on raising interest rates in June and it now seems certain that the bank will start tightening policy this year as pandemic effects wane and a rebound in consumption is expected, Governor Jiri Rusnok said on Thursday.

Rusnok told a news conference he would not speculate on how many hikes would come but said the bank did not need to wait long before it starts to take the main repo rate to more standard levels from the current 0.25%.