AMMAN - The Central Bank of Jordan on Thursday raised its main interest rates by 50 basis points following the U.S. Federal Reserve's three-quarters of a percentage point increase to curb inflation and maintain fiscal stability, the bank said in a statement.

Jordan's currency is pegged to the dollar and the kingdom follows Fed moves almost unfailingly.

The benchmark interest rate was hiked to 3.75% in a move to maintain the attractiveness of dinar-denominated assets and hamper any excessive outflow of dinars into dollar denominated assets, a bank official told Reuters.

"The decision is in light of the firm commitment by the bank to maintain monetary stability and the attractiveness of the Jordanian dinar as a saving vehicle," a bank statement said.

Authorities fear spiralling global inflation in a country that imports most of its basic commodities could further erode incomes of poor Jordanians, who are already struggling with high unemployment.

The International Monetary Fund expects Jordan's economy to grow around 2.4% in 2022, but with average consumer price inflation seen rising to 3.8% from an earlier estimate of 2.8%.

(Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Alex Richardson)