The UK's central bank, founded 1694 and granted independence in 1997, sets UK interest rates and supervises its financial system, making its rate decisions a global bond-market variable.
Sterling-denominated UK government bonds issued by HM Treasury, the mechanism that funds Britain's annual deficit and refinances its nearly £3 trillion debt stock.
full dossier ›The UK's official currency, the fourth most-traded globally, whose value signals the market's confidence in British fiscal and monetary policy.
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee voted 7-2 on 19 June 2026 to hold the UK base rate at 3.75%, with UK CPI at 2.8% in May 2026; the two dissenting members voted to raise rates, citing persistent services inflation and wage growth above levels consistent with the 2% target