[randomdata]

It can be. 50bp is always equivalent to 0.5pp, but only sometimes equivalent to 0.5%. A % increase is dependent on relative change. The increase from 0.25 to 0.75 talked about in the article, for example, is a 200% increase, a 0.5pp increase, and a 50bp increase. The difference between 0.75% and 0.25% is not represented as a %. That is now how % is calculated.

[illiac786]

You did not define what your percentage applies to in your comment. Everyone here is talking about interest rate, not interest rate increase rate.

[randomdata]

The topic of conversation here is how the European Central Bank increased rates by 0.5 percentage points, which may also be stated as 50 basis points as a percentage point is 1/100th of a basis point. The European Central Bank did not raise any of its rates by 0.5 percent. The previous commenter, among others, merely mixed up percent (%) and percentage point (pp), is all. It's a common mistake, editorialized headline included.