BRASILIA, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Brazil’s central bank cut interest rates by 75 basis points on Wednesday, surprising markets with a more aggressive rate cut in an effort to pull the once-booming economy out of its worst recession ever.

In a unanimous vote, the bank’s monetary policy committee, known as Copom, decided to lower its benchmark Selic rate to 13.00 percent - its lowest in nearly two years - after two straight cuts of 25 basis points each. (Reporting by Alonso Soto and Silvio Cascione; Editing by Peter Cooney)