Domestic equity benchmarks registered strong gains on Wednesday after the RBI kept the key lending rates unchanged, as expected, while tweaking its GDP and inflation forecasts and announcing a slew of measures for the financial sector. Both main indices surged 0.9 per cent for the day, with the the Sensex gaining 715.7 points to end at 80,983.3 and the Nifty50 adding 225.2 points to 24,836.3. Analysts said the RBI's latest steps will provide a long-term boost for the financial space, supporting growth in the world's fifth-largest economy.

The Nifty Bank -- a barometer of bank stocks -- surged 1.4 per cent. Financial service-related stocks enjoy the maximum weightage of 37 per cent in the Nifty50.

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