MOSCOW, July 21. /TASS/. The Bank of Russia has increased the neutral interest rate range in its updated forecast to 5.5-6.55, Central Bank chief Elvira Nabiullina said on Friday after a Board meeting.

"The updated forecast takes into account the revision for our neutral interest rate estimate - up 0.5 percentage points to 1.5-2.5% in real or 5.5-6.5% in nominal value," she said.

The neutral interest rate was adjusted upward because of the growing risk premium for the Russian market and the external neutral interest rate increase, Nabiullina added.