KnowledgeBank
The Bank of England has served the public for over 300 years by looking after the UK economy and financial system.
Here at the Bank of England we print the banknotes that you use to pay for things; and make sure they are strong, attractive and hard to forge.
When you pay for things electronically, we are working behind the scenes to make sure you can make these payments every second of every day.
We also make sure high street banks are safe and sound, and look at the entire financial system to reduce risks and keep it safe so money flows to where it is needed most.
We set the key interest rate in the economy called Bank Rate which then filters down into the interest rates offered when you put money into a savings account, or take out a loan.
Businesses depend on loans to expand and hire more staff. So interest rates also matter for them and their employees.
Interested to find out more? Explore KnowledgeBank to discover various aspects of our role, explained in simple terms.