By bne IntelIiNews The Kazakh central bank has hiked its policy rate from 14.5% to 16% per annum, with a corridor of +/- 1.0 pp, amid Kazakhstan’s ongoing struggles with double digit inflation, the national lender said in a statement. The rate is now the highest it has been in six years. The central bank has increased the key rate five times this year. Annual inflation in Kazakhstan, which stood at 17.7% in September but climbed to 19.7% as of October 26, stood significantly above the regulator’s expectations, prompting the chunky rate hike. Ukraine War-related factors appear to be strong driv…