The Reserve Bank of Australia has barred a global investment bank from confidential briefings with its top officials after one of its clients leaked details of an off-the-record lunch about the central bank’s interest rate decisions, the second time it has happened in a year.

RBA assistant governor Christopher Kent met with RBC Capital Markets economists and their trading clients in February shortly after the central bank decided to keep the cash rate steady at 4.35 per cent, according to people briefed about the incident who spoke on condition of anonymity.